Halo: Return of the Hero
by Accendrix
Summary: Halo 4 will be told through this alternate version, where the Master Chief and Cortana are thrust into an Alien Conflict in another Galaxy! (Blood, Violence, Sexual themes, Language) May be a bit OOC, but thats because I love the Chief and will glorifiy my view on him when writing.
1. Chapter 1: Next to nothing

**Return of the Hero**

Chapter 1: Next to nothing

…

It was the same thing everyday, well since Space really didn't have a Day/Night cycle it was the same thing every time. She'd wake up, wander through the Tunnels of Blue Networking and passages of coding only to come back out in front of the Chief. He was still in his Cryostasis Pod- frozen. Well maybe he was just in a state of suspended animation. She'd sigh, and send a long time staring at the technology he was encased in, such a small prison for a huge hero.

_Oh Chief, will we ever get out of this place? _She thought to herself. She was about to get up and check up on the Distress Signal she had on REPEAT when something surged through the remnants of the mangled Frigate and started to drive whatever technology that was still working on the fritz. The Station Cortana was in began to be corrupted by something. It worked through the system and literally kicked her chip out, her still in it. The chip shot out of the stationand floated around in the air. Electric surges began to ripple through the Chief's Cryo Pod, and the door flung open. Chief himself awoke rather rudely, and he flew out of the Pod to see how the small ripples and surges of blue and Yellow light went through the Forward Unto Dawn.

"Cortana?! Cortana!" he yelled. Everything was silent in Space, but his comms were crackling to life. Cortana couldn't answer him, she was still in her chip in the air. Chief saw it and reached for it, only to be blown away by an explosion. Chief grabbed his Assault Rifle from next to him, and he jumped off some debris towards her Blue chip, the light emanating quickly.

"I'm coming Cortana!" Chief screamed. He reached for the chip, but it was too far, so he started firing his AR as a way to propel himself more. It worked slightly, and he caught up with the chip as the explosions began to happen and then die out instantly. Chief grabbed the chip, stuck it in his helmet, and he reached out to a solid pipe sticking out of the wall of the ship.

"Chief!" Cortana screamed in relief.

"I'm here. Everything's alright now."

"I thought I was gone for sure. I was afraid I'd never see you again, John." she sobbed. Hysterical as the ship began to rock and tip- edging closer and closer to what had started the meltdown.

"Shh, its okay. We're fine." John responded. He looked out a Porthole and saw an enormous battleground of Alien ships, not Covenant, and what looked like Insect-shaped ships flying around, firing green and red energy blasts from their weapons. The other, more Sword-like looking ships, fired back with Rockets which glowed bright violet, and their ship's turrets pumped out blast after blast of what looked like cased shells, like what the UNSC used.

"What is going on he-?" Chief wanted to ask, but a massive Shell smashed into the remains of the Forward Unto Dawn and sent it slowly spiraling into a large Flagship of the Insect-like ships. The hunk of junk crashed through the shields and ripped and tore its ay into the ship, sending the larger Space vessel into a state of major destruction.


	2. Chapter 2: Red one! Blue one!

Return of the Hero

Chapter 2: Red one! Blue one!

**Authors Note: I might as well add in a new chapter in the same day. Inspiration comes in increments lol. The new Aliens and their conflict will be explained, and the whole Cortana and chief relationship will be shown in a new form other than Spartan and his AI. The "Silphs" look like Asari and Na'vi combined, but with lighter skin tones and different limbs. **

…

Chief hung onto the pipe and the Forward Unto Dawn (what was left of it) tore through the huge Alien ship. It looked to be a Flagship, enormous and strong. It was shaped like a word but much more bulked up where the "hilt" is, having the engines and other compartments held over there. What looked like a platform ran right through the ship horizontally. On the tips of the large light-covered platform were triangular turrets firing off super-heated shells of metal and chemicals. They whizzed through Space and smashed into the other Alien ship's. Violet Rockets were fired as the Dawn, but they missed their mark as the slightly smaller frigate crashed into the Flagship and heavily damaged it Oxygen made the fires continue to burn, and other gases leaked out of the craters left in the Flagship.

"Cortana, is this ship UNSC?" Chief asked.

"Not sure Chief. I'm trying to make sense of the situation myself. Right now, I think you should get off the Dawn and make your way into the ship we're…well IN."

Chief jumped off the pipe and headed for a near opening. He dragged and clawed his way through as the ship shook and rumbled. Finally, Chief stuck out his armored hand and it grabbed onto a jagged ledge, surprisingly it fit right into his weary palm and he heft himself up onto it. Some Finger-Protection pieces were gone and his Olive Armor looked even more drab.

"We made it. Now what?" He asked. Cortana popped up in a small box on the upper left-hand corner of his Visor. Her face didn't look that happy. Her blue and beautiful face showed signs of stress and panic, Chief noticed this and he looked up, his Assault Rifle at the ready.

"I'm activating your Motion Sensor now Chief…not good." she responded.

The small circle popped up with a light noise and blue contacts appeared everywhere. Chief looked around and noticed the scantily clad individuals. They appeared to be lightly peach colored in nature and also had a humanoid form. Black and white striped an along one, making it look almost Zebra-like. It had a humanoid face, but with light blue or dark blue eyes, no pupils. The nose was visible, but almost pointless- as it morphed with the contour of the face. The hair wasn't there, but looked like Tentacles draped down their heads, other Tentacles stuck out like Hairstyles. Two figures looked to be woman, while the other four were males. Chief, obviously outnumbered and having no idea what the enemy was capable of, lowered his weapon.

"Cortana…they're just staring at me. Do you have any plans of action?"

"Surprising your asking me for a plan instead of the, 'shoot your way out' type of plan you follow. It's like a Mantra." she responded. The figures were dressed in Robe-like uniforms with Armor Guards on assorted areas of their body. One aimed his weapon at Chief, it looked like a Battle Rifle but with a strong connection with a Covenant Plasma Repeater. The Silver gun was pointed right at the Chief. Some buttons were pressed, and the figure fired a shot right into Chief's visor.

"Chief!" Cortana yelled. The shot seemed to turn into a network of blue colored energy and it went around his body, stunning him and ultimately knocking him out. Cortana remained active, and she watched as the figures walked forwards- with their digitigrades legs, also armored. Two grabbed Chief and lifted him, with great difficulty, and they eventually dragged his body off to some other part of the ship. The "Impact Zone" was being populated by Engineers and Crewmen trying to fix things while also marking dangerous areas off. Chief was thrown onto a table, and a high-ranked Alien came over to him. The Being rested his four-fingered hand on Chief's torso, feeling the Braille that read "117." It spoke, moving its mouth with great speed, to the others. The scantily clad armored Aliens each locked down an entrance to this vibrant room. The doors shut, and the Chief was awoken. He jumped up, only to be restrained down by a few Aliens.

"Cortana?! Where are y-?"

"Right here Chief." she responded, calming him down.

The High-ranking Alien was surprised. He seemed to be able to talk through the Comm network in the Mjolnir suit. Through the comms, Chief heard,

"What manner of Demon-craft is this?!"


	3. Chapter 3: WWCD

Halo: Return of the Hero

Chapter 3: W.W.C.D (What would Chief do?)

The Alien jumped backwards. Instead of falling on it's behind, it seemed to float into the air before it gracefully landed on it's boots. Some Aliens backed away, others trained their guns on Chief, while Cortana tried making sense of the situation.

"How did it understand us?" Chief asked Cortana.

"I'm not sure Chief…it must have been, the ANOMALY! The Dawn was struck by some kind of Energy or Technologically superior form of a weapon. Like a reverse-EMP, overloading everything instead of shutting it down. Your suit, and my coding, must have been affected by this. They can understand us, only in your suit though- until I can plug myself into their system and somehow work something out."

The high-ranking Alien understood everything, and he alerted the Guards to lower their guns. He himself however, put a hand to an odd looking object on his hip, almost like a Samurai readying his sword. It spoke,

"What are you? Where did you come from?"

The Master Chief managed to get up and stand, his height and the Alien's height were closely similar, the Chief still stood a bit taller with his Helmet and all. Cortana appeared from his palm.

"Wha?!" the Alien exclaimed, it then unsheathed it's bright green saber and pointed it to Cortana. Master Chief backed up and readied himself for a fight, already planning how to disarm the Alien and use the Saber-Sword against it.

"This is Cortana, my Artificial Intelligence unit- my close friend." Chief practically yelled, alarming the Alien. It put the sword down and raised its chin. Cortana seemed a bit flushed after Chief said, "close friend." She thought of how Halsey had never had a great social life when it came to relationships- so she had been specially created to learn about it and adapt to it. It came as a shock.

"Why does she not share the same form as you? Is it because she is of opposite gender? What is an Artificial Intelligence?!"

Cortana spoke up, moving up John's arms and onto his shoulder, setting her blue body on his shoulder.

"I'm like him, but a computer. I was created by a human. And I'm glad you let down your weapon, Chief is a great fighter, he was practically molded into one." she laughed.

The Alien sheathed his Saber and told Chief to walk with him. The two walked out of the room and into the Halls, past the Engineers and Mechanics working on the Impact Zone. Guards accompanied. Chief told his story, about Earth, the UNSC, his own goal to stop The Flood and how the Forerunners had failed to kill them all- and finally how he ended up here. The Alien told Chief how his Species, called the "Nareesi" had been at war with this rival species. The Nareesi had evolved through only 2000 years from when they became educated. Space Travel is still quite new to them, about 63 Earth-years new, and the rival Species had began the war by destroying the first few colonies the Nareesi had managed to coble together from Space Travel. Humans and Nareesi both shared very similar things, their history full of great violence and great love- their technology was very much the same, other than the Nareesi being more showy and advanced. These advancements came with the discovery of the gem: "Yluminite" The war had started when the Nareesi had discovered the Gem, and began being selfish and hoarding it, oblivious to the Aliens who lived deep underground- lying dormant feeding on the Yluminite to survive. That species had a History of its own. A History that stretched back to 4000 years after evolution and intelligence.

"So this Gem is the cause of your war? Why not just share?" Chief asked.

"You hurt me Alien." he replied with a rich accent- sounding Swedish with touches of an Aussie accent. They wiped out whole planets, three in fact. We responded by burning their hives one by one, for 20 years. Through those 20 years, we've fought constantly, many think this war will never end until every last one of US or THEM is dead."

"Maybe one day, you can learn to put your differences aside, and go your separate ways. Much like us and the Sangheili Species." Cortana replied.

The Alien sighed and said,

"Were it so easy."


	4. Chapter 4: With friends like these

Halo: Return of the Hero

Chapter 3: With friends like these

**Authors note: Well, the Nareesi will be nicknamed "Sylphs" because they share similar charatceristics of Fairies. they can fly, and through their technology and religious harmony they have "magic." **

**These Sylpharians have the natural abilities of good luck and the ability to hover or fly for breif periods of time. This is because they have evolved due to their planets having heavy gravity. **

**The Captian's name is pronoucned like: "cotton" and Ghrvey's name is pronounced like: "gharvee." Read and review! More chapters coming.**

"Your conflict reminds us of our long warwith the Covenant. It should have been disbanded by now I believe, now that Truth and The Flood are gone." Cortana told the Alien.

The Master Chief, Cortana, and the alien has been talking so long, that they had finally arrived where the Nareesi was leading them- the ship Bridge.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself, I am Quo'tunn Vyan Treth. Captain and Religious Leader of this vessel."

Cortana and Chief thanked the creator for having the Nareesi energy blast somehow switch and adapt to the language changes, thus providing a way for MC and Cortana to speak with the Aliens via Suit translator.

"I'm Master Chief Petty Officer John/Sierra-117. This is my AI Cortana." Chief responded. The Alien nodded, and the door in front of them immediately opened to reveal an enormous room filled with Nareesi and technology.

"This…must be the Bridge. Sorry for what our vessel did to yours. Was anyone a casualty?" Cortana asked.

"Thankfully not, your odd vessel smashed right into our Engines Deck and extra empty compartments. Our Engineers and Mechanics are trying to do what they can, let's check up on them shall we?" The Alien said. He wanted to show off to the intelligent life he just discovered, and wanted to be sure his technology was more advanced than theirs. He raised his arm, and a white screen- completely rectangular in shape appeared. A video link showed and it took some time to buffer and load, until it finally revealed a tired looking Nareesi Engineer, with what looked like grease on his cheek and a bandana tied on his forehead.

"Aye captain, I have no time for this needless chatter, the Engines might explode any second!" the Nareesi said.

What surprised the chief and Cortana most was that this one spoke a different language than Quo'tunn. The Nareesi sounded almost like a Scotch but with a bit of French and Chinese mixed in- VERY odd noises to hear. The suit took a few seconds to translate. Quo'tunn responded back with the same language,

"Ghrvey shut your fucking mouth and tell me how the Engines are doing. We have ALIENS on our craft, and we can't have it explode."

Ghrvey responded,

"Ohohoho, those stupid fucks who managed to make the Port side of our precious ship look like a fucking Pastry? They must be intelligent to have created that kind of CRAP. Oddly enough it reminds me of our own ships…strange. Anyway Captain, we need to…." That's when Ghrvey saw the Chief and Cortana next to the Captain, staring at him- waitting for another cheap shot or insult.

"Psst. Captain…are they armed? Do they all look like that? Is that a form of clothing or armor? Whats the blue thing? She looks fetching for an alien."

The Chief stepped forward after that, obviously sending the message that Ghrvey should shut up. The Captain stepped in front of Chief and went closer to the hovering screen,

"They've been through a lot, and somehow our technology inadvertently let them communicate with us through that suit the big one's wearing. Count your blessings Ghrvey, that tone will get you a face full of hot shrapnel when an engine you're working on explodes. We'll talk about them later in a Ship council. Our gods will tell us what to do with them."

Sounding all the more familiar, the Chief tensed up and thought about the Prophets (San Schuum) and how they corrupted the Covenant with their tales of the Great Journey. Cortana popped up in Chief's visor.

"Easy there, John. Hopefully this council won't put a death sentence on us, well more of you. I think they're going to keep me around and see how I was made, or WHAT I'm made of."

"Never. I'll never let them touch you Cortana, I can't trust them yet." Chief responded bitterly.

Outside, the silent battle of Space raged on, the Flagship taking hit after hit, fighters being shot down, and life being at war with itself once again.

**Authors note: Well, do you like?**


	5. Chapter 5: Pentagon

Halo: Return of the Hero

Chapter 5: Pentagon

The UNSC Destroyer _Arctic Warmth_ and the UNSC Frigate _Hansel _easily stood out from the hoard of civilian spacecraft and other small Space vessels as they all headed towards the newly found planet of **Treth**. The Captain of the _Arctic _was escorting these civilian craft for colonization, most were refugees bitter and weary after the long war with the Covenant. The Destroyer, jet black an incredibly powerful, armed with Covenant Plasma Artillery. With the armistice between the Sangheili and the humans technology and medicine was shared between the two cementing their uneasy friendship. It was like super-gluing a jigsaw puzzle the pieces would fit but goddamn it looked ugly and you could easily see where the pieces were separated.

"_Hansel_, make sure that the damn refugees don't stray from the battle craft. Those captains are shady." Captain Lance Walker told the smaller frigate. The Frigate was also outfitted with Covie-Human hybrid weapons. The MAC gun was replaced with a small glassing beam- while the rest of the guns were still the same.

"Copy that Arctic, I think MAVERICK is one of their middle names. Hey is your AI picking up anything strange? The closer we get to the planet, the more our engines begin to drone down." it replied.

Captain Walker stood from his seat and walked down the Bridge to the AI station. He huffed a bit, and then asked

"Wright, be a good little brother and explain to me why the Civilian craft and our own damn ship is losing power?"

The small AI boy popped up he was colored orange and looked like a small Caucasian boy living in the colonies.

"Big bro, the UNSC and ONI have all given out the reports that this new planet has a Magnetic field that will intercept our own engine's networking and begin to re-wire it. We don't know how, all we know is that it does and it's fucking pretty cool."

"Wright who taught you that word?" Walker responded.

"You did." the boy smirked.

Walker strutted back to his chair and relayed the message to all the Civilian ships and the Frigate. This planet was strange already how the hell did the UNSC even find it?

(Hive-King, the Wretched have taken damage to their Flagship, our Stealth Fighters have ample chance to infiltrate and obliterate their Religious Leader) one Insect-Alien said. The Hive-King emerged from his Cocoon/Captain Chair and his mandibles went into a flurry of quick and sloppy sounds.

(Send them out. Whatever craft has damaged it is our friend. It is our duty as honorable Soldiers to get whatever beings are held captive by the Wretched at once! GO!)

The Hive-Kign sat back down in his Cocoon and brought an arm up to his face. These Aliens looked like mutated Crickets mixed with Humans. Their legs, arms, and torso all looked human except for the bug-like attachments. They were like walking-talking Human Cricket and Mantis Hybrids. The Ship bridge looked like the inside of an Ant Hole, and ominous orange and violet lit up the room.

The Prophet of _Lies and Vile Tales _has blind-sided Thel Va'dam's fleet of Sangheili. He ordered his troops to take The Arbiter alive, while also deactivating the ship's and not completely destroying them. The elites under him and the rest of the Covenant agreed and was able to take Thel's fleet within an hour. The Arbiter himself dragged to the Prophet's Throne Room.

"Ah, Arbiter. It is a pleasure to see you." The Prophet laughed.

"You insolent fool, the Covenant is no more! What reason do these fellow Sangheili and free species have to follow and serve under you?" Thel responded.

"Well, for one I do not work under Covenant laws. I broke off a long time ago. Although I was never considered a Heretic, seeing how many thought I was long dead or under capture by the Humans."

"Why call them by their proper name instead of the usual 'Vermin' or 'Filth'?" then questioned.

"Why not pay attention to what went on with the Prophets instead of just labeling them as liars and corrupt fools? I despised this idea of a Forerunner Omnipotent Being. I understood that they came before us, and defeated by the Parasite. So I, along with many of my trusted colleagues- knew that the only way to defeat the Covenant was to eat them from the inside. BUT, the persistent Humans and your own Renegade Elites managed to do that for me and I am forever grateful. These men and woman who serve under me pledged to fulfill their duties of making sure the Covenenat's wiped out forever. The very idea of a Covenant sickens them. Right folks?"

Grunts squealed and fellow Elites fiercely nodded. The Arbiter was patted on the back by an Elite Minor, despite the fellow dragging him to the Prophet a few moments ago.

"I understand. So what of my fleet and men? Are they to serve under you as well?" The arbiter replied.

"No, of course not. You are free to do as you wish OR you could join me for one last hoorah as we scour Solar system getting more Covenant fools to see clearly or kill them if the need comes."

The Arbiter looked around. He thought of Sanghelios and of his own friends there.

"On one condition, I will aid you my job is not done. But my own troops can freely choose to follow me follow you or go back home after this long and weary war. Maybe we'll even find the Master Chief."

"The who?"

"The Demon who helped me destroy the Flood and defeat the Covenant Hierarchs. My friend."

"…Let's do it."

And so the deal was made between the Prophet and the Arbiter.

The Chief shook from the blasts coming to the Flagship. Quo'tunn ordered his fleet to fall back and protect the Flagship- while also making sure not to let the other Aliens overcome him.

"Master Chief, take your AI to the Danger Zone/Impact Zone. Meet up with Ghrvey and protect that area. I think with our weak structure, Hive Infiltrators will want to move in and try to kill me… I can't die. Pardon the narcissism."

"You got it Cotton." Cortana quipped. The Chief ran back to an Elevator with some awaiting Nareesi. One was the Zebra Striped Female from earlier, while the other was a buff looking, scarred Veteran. Both were still very scantily clad.

In an Australian Accent, the striped one said,

"Hi, are you the Master Chief? I'm Beronica. Don't let my looks fool ya- I can kick some ass while still looking pretty. If you don't think I already look pretty, eh Mistah Alien?" she slyly added.

The Chief responded with a small shoulder twitch.

"Uhh, Chief? What was that?" Cortana asked.

"What was what Cortana?" he replied. Beronica gave him a quizzing look before she activated the elevator and down they went to the Impact Zone.

**And now the last Perspective in this Pentagonal Perspective thingy MY OWN!**

**Thank you for the reviews, I may have done some stupid stuff but please excuse that. Chapters will be up every other day, that's a safe assumption. This's going to be a wild tale. Wait till you se what the Prophet has done with the Brutes! Haha.**


	6. Chapter 6: Surpise Elevator Sex

Halo: Return of the Hero

Chapter 6: Surprise Elevator Sex

**Well, here's a lemon to all my loyal readers. Thank you wallsofmine for reviewing, its been great talking with you and all that jazz. I might do another chapter today I'm feeling inspired. Anyhoo, enjoy the lemon. **

_Warning! Mature content ahead! Reader beware!_

"Chief, your vital signs are getting all mixed up. This kind of stuff only happens when a Spartan has an emotional surge…are you feeling okay?" Cortana asked.

Beronica had her back turned to the Master Chief. He was empty-handed, but he kept fiddling with his arms after eyeing up her plump bottom. The armor also gave quite a view of her luxurious blue back. This sort of stuff never happened to a genetically bred Spartan- but it's been a while since the Chems in John's system started to break down a bit. Maybe all the radiation given off by Plasma Weaponry he operated was doing that? Oh well al he knew was that he was experiencing what horniness was for the first time.

"Jeez, it's going to be a while before this damn elevatah gets to the impact zone. So Mistah Alien how you like it he-YAH!" Beronica whooped. With the Chief's cod-piece gone his erection was propping up a huge black tent in his skin-suit.

"Oh my…well lets see what we have here." Beronica laughed. She bent down and got on her knees. The Chief was stammering and desperately asking Cortana what was going on with his body. Cortana was silence just watching what was going on. Beronica managed to slit a hole in the skin-suit and out popped Master Chief's member.

"Woah! Well it's slightly bigger than our own species. Murdokk why don't you pull yours out for comparison. Agh, I'm getting hotter by the fripton."

The chief leaned against the wall. His dick was close to a full eight inches and it was big across the width. His physique and genetic breeding brought forth this beast of human genitals. It was a darkish brown but his Caucasian side still showed. There were two veins on the left side that stuck out and pulses slightly the other side was bare. Murdokk took off his trousers and unleashed this cobalt colored, arrow-headed cock. It was the same size as Chiefs! The Nareesi panted and his erection buzzed and twitched.

"CORTANA?!" Chief yelled. Still no response.

Beronica slithered slowly out of her white robes and armor. She pushed down's armored chest a bit and then crouched down to his dick. Taking it in one hand, she used her four fingers to slowly stroke it.

"Oh by the way you're hissing and moving it's like you've never had intercourse before. Haven't you?" she asked. She kept giving him a hand job.

"I wasn't bred UGH for this." Chief responded wearily. She started to hump and he gripped at the wall. Murdokk was taking his armor off.

"Oh wow. Strange stuff where you come from eh?" Beronica replied. She opened her mouth and took Chief's dark head in. she then began to suck on it, making slurping and plopping noises. Chief grunted in pleasure and he grabbed the side of her face in ecstasy.

"Mmhmm hmtph. Mrrhm mmp." Beronica managed to get out. Chief's dick began to slide into her wet mouth, and the heat was taking its toll on the penis. It began spasming. Beronica's head was pushed into Chief's legs as he erupted this humongous load of salty cum. Built up from the showers he took with the other Marines and Troopers. From the various naked woman he saw during battle. From the way he'd walk past a room where gasps of pleasure was coming from. The white stuff landed in the back of Beronica's throat and slid downwards. She spat it out and coughed some. The Chief exhaled heavily and steadied himself. Beronica's breasts were glittered and covered with shiny liquid. She wiped her mouth and gasped when Murdokk pulled her up by her smooth legs. Her arms and face came up to the Chief's chest but her legs went to Murdokk's pelvis.

"Grrrmmm." Murdokk growled. His pointed penis swiftly jabbed at Beronica's vagina- pink and wet. It slid right in and was sucked on by her young pussy. The cock thrust forwards and back over and over. Beronica screamed with delight as her body pushed into the Chief.

"ARGH! UGH! ARH! HEYAH! ARH. AH! AH AH AH ARGH AH ARH!" until she wailed as the penis in her folds fired out a load greenish insemination. She fell to the ground and convulsed a bit, and green semen dripped out of her vagina. Murdokk sighed a bit and he steadied himself on the wall. The Chief's dick was rock hard after this. He felt that the sticky and wet fuckhole of Beronica's vagina was a bit gross so he tried eyeing up another place he could fuck her in. Grabbing her ankles and spinning her around on the wet floor, he fingered and probed her ass until he found her anus. It was small, and a bit dry but the Chief didn't know any better.

"N-no. Urrgh. Plss…nooo." Beronica whispered wearily. The Chief picked her up from the waist, her face still on the ground- and he positioned himself. He felt the small hole and pushed his wet dick into her with great force.

"NnnooAAARGHAH. ARH! NAAAAH! AH! AH! AY! AYH! AYHE! AH! AH!" screamed Beronica. Her exit was fucked like an entrance and it was tearing her ass and back apart. Blood dripped a bit from her ass- but the Chief was lost in a journey of ecstasy. He pumped into her strong and striped behind like a horny dog. Her butt slapped by his thighs, and she slid forwards every time he thrust. Hooking her legs with his forearms he fucked upwards almost, and her body responded by hopping up with his dick. Her belly was beautifully blue and striped a luxurious black, and the breasts she possessed would smack forwards and downwards. Murdokk was horny again. He stroked his pointed dick, and he pushed it to Beronica's face. She lazily accepted the penis, but he slammed into her mouth causing her to gag. Noting her reaction, he eased off and gasped and groaned as the chief's thrusts managed to let her throat and cheeks fully take his pointed dick into her. Her eyes rolled up and her mouth was extremely slimy and wet. The face was shining and glimmering.

"Argh. Ah. MMHM." The chief grunted with a feral pitch. His dick twitched and fired off a smaller load of milky-white semen. Beronica clutched the floor and curled her toes as her orgasm hit her- she then moaned and wailed as she slowly slid off the Chief's dick. Her legs landed on the floor but her mouth was still being fucked by Murdokk. It took a few minutes before he pulled out and jizzed onto her face. The gruff soldier then stuck his dick back into her mouth and let the green cum be shot out again, it dripped out like paint from a can. He finished up and sighed heavily. The Chief's dick shrank and was tucked back into his skin-suit. The slit was still there though, so he covered it up a Knee Guard from Murdokk's armor. The Knee Guard was bright white with blue specks on it. Beronica let her mouth fall open and the cum gushed out. She smacked her lips, spit some out, and began to clothe herself. The Elevator smelled of spunk and sweat. Everyone had wet clothing, Beronica more than the other two.

"Well. Ugh…my butt hurts. And damn Murdokk you don't have to stab my throat that hard with the Arrow-headed dick you have. Mister Alien, you better thank me for your first time." Beronica complained.

"…John?" Cortana asked. The Master Chief had forgotten all about her!

"Cortana!" he yelled. The Nareesi got spooked, but then shrugged it off.

"Halsey somehow gave me more emotion and 'feel' when she made me. I don't know why but I'm a bit jealous. Not to mention the area between my legs is aching a bit." she questioned. The plump-breasted and beautiful AI popped up in his visor. The Chief only then noticed how damn hot she was with her bare chest and vagina. He coding was gone a bit revealing her feminine physique fully.

"…Damn Cortana. I'm sorry." he replied, his sultry voice making her tremble at the knees. She regained herself an then saw his dick pop out from the slit knocking the Knee Guard off.

"Oh no, not again Mister Alien. One's enough as of the moment." Beronica said. Murdokk grunted.

"Go Masturbate or something."

The Chief has no idea what masturbating was. He just looked at his dick and asked Cortana what to do.

"You know, use your hand?" Beronica told him. The Chief grabbed his warm dick. It felt like it was solid rock inside, but the skin was silky smooth. Cortana urged him to try stroking it. The Chief looked at her bare blue breasts and grunted as the urge to cum came on. He began masturbating while Cortana made noises of interest, showing off her vagina every time it ached. She grabbed a breast but had no idea what to do so she pent up all that sexual energy AI weren't even supposed to have. The Chief stroked a final few times and shot this long line of semen our of his dick onto the Elevator doors. He yelled some, and then bent down to catch his breath. Cortana thought he hurt himself, but he got up just fine and assured her he was better than ever. His stuck his dick back into the slit and left it at that.

The doors opened to the Impact Zone, and the three walked out tired, but sexually satisfied.


	7. Chapter 7: God-fearing Folk

Halo: Return of the Hero

Chapter 7: God-fearing Folk

**I feel like…I need this side-plot. I need this somewhere in the story I am trying to tell. And I feel that if it isn't here, then the story will not be complete. Btw, how did you guys like the Lemon? Leave reviews, I have followers and Favorite-ers already! Hell yeah. **

"Hey! Over here! Hey!" the man yelled. He sprinted down the hill to the awaiting convoy of UNSC Trucks. These were Army, not Marine. Similar to the ones on Reach, but less military more civilian looking. One had it's door painted Red while another had a huge Star painted on it's hood. The man, young but not so much, ran up to the front Truck. He panted when he got there, the bright sun shining in his eyes and the green valley looked beautiful as the setting sun illuminated it. The door opened, and what looked like a Mid-40s man jumped down. He was dressed in Army apparel, with a cap on his head.

"Son, what can I do for ya?" the man asked. The Trooper than lit a Water-Vapor cigarette and began to blow smokes of steam t the side, towards the line of similar Trucks.

"Hey, I'm in charge of delivering some packages. I could use a lift, do you mind?" the boy laughed.

"Hop on in." The Trooper said. The two got into the drivable section, and the door was shut. The Trucks began to move once again line a line of Green fire Ants.

"I'm Richard. Richard Capurso." the boy said, and he stuck his hand out.

"I'm Lance Corporal Gearfried. Why don't you say hello to the fellas in the back eh kid?" The man responded, bit off. Richard obliged by looking behind him, opening up the back window and saluting while smiling. In the back of the Truck were Caskets. With assorted flags all covering the casket itself.

"Oh my-"

"God don't exist son, only Devils do."

Richard sat back into his chair and stared out the metal window slits. He was wearing a brownish tan jacket, with blue jeans and some boots. He had his bag slung over his shoulder, inside were packages and letters. Richard was dark-skinned and extremely bright. However he almost never did 100% and wanted to ride life out on the boundary. He had an American accent, but not so much that slang was used in ever sentence he spoke.

"Richard, those folks back there died during the Human-Covenant War. 'Bout 20 years ago. I was in a Squad, stationed on the planet Reach you ever heard of the Planet Reach son?" Gearfried asked.

"No sir." Richard replied, quite somberly.

"Earth born eh? I was born on some other Colony planet. Was in a city full of brave and courageous UNSC soldiers. Wasn't long 'til the Covies glassed the planet and killed most everyone and everything on the planet." Gearfried blew out some steam from his Cigarette.

"I hear it was a horrible and long war. I can only remember bits and pieces of it. Mostly numbers and stuff, how many dead how many planets missing etc. I was in North America at the time, we seemed to be obsessed with the War. I even had family in Mombasa…heard that place got attacked too. Did you ever fight the Covenant sir?"

"Son, I've lost a lot and wanted o repay those losses with blood. Sure I killed a few aliens, sure I saw many of my friends die. Everyone in these caskets are God-fearing people. Ask yourself this son, how did I make it?"

Richard pondered the question for a while. Night had arrived, and the UNSC Trucks were coming to their offload zone soon. Richard thanked the man and got out. Before he shut the door he stared into Gearfried's eyes and said,

"How did you make it sir?"

Gearfried spun his head and went back to look at the road. He started up the engine again and smiled.

"I stopped believing in God the first time I saw an Elite. That is Satan…the battlefield is hell. And without the power of god I was able to kill many Devils through my gun not my Bible. That's how I made it son." Gearfried then put up his arm and showed Richard the Pentagram he had tattooed on his Fore-arm. Underneath that was a UNSC Assault rifle crossed with a UNSC Battle Rifle.

Richard turned away, shaken and frightened. He stumbled backwards and continued his trip.

**I am not saying that you should stop worshipping whatever you worship, or to do anything else drastic. The Trooper was just one of the figures Richard meets on his Trip and through him the story of what goes on AFTER the war will be told. Next chapter: The Arbiter and what happened with the Humans on their way to Treth.**


	8. Chapter 8: When you stumble

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 8: When you stumble

The colonization fleet successfully landed at _Dolby_. The Destroyer and Frigate remained stationed at the planet, while reinforcements arrived. A whole fleet of assorted ships arrived at _Dolby_. They sounded off to Walker.

"UNSC _Battlestar _here, we're the Frigate, along with the _Native_ and _Levine's Ring._" the radio spoke.

"Aye." a female chirped.

"Ahoy!" came a hearty Irish man's voice.

The three frigates were flanked by a Destroyer and two Halcyon-Class Cruisers. One Prowler was even spotted.

"Captain Walker, I am Admiral Stalin. My cruiser and the Cruiser _Particular Silence_ along with the Destroyer _Memory_ head off to the far side of the planet. ONI has some stuff for us to check out. I'll leave the Frigates and Prowler here with you. Take care, and be ready if we need you."

"Aye aye Admiral." Walker responded. The gruff old voice of Stalin was cut off and the Fleet dispersed.

"Wright, message the Frigates to form a line of defense to the planet. I want the Prowler laying mines understand?"

The Hologram of the AI boy popped up. He was smirking.

"Already done sir."

"Prowler here. The Galaga is stocked with mines, where exactly do you want them?"

The voice on the other side was extremely terrifying to hear, Walker had goosebumps and he shivered slightly.

"W-wherever you want them!" he belted.

"It's done." came the gravely British voice. The Prowler activated it's Stealth mode and flew off to lay down some HORNETs.

_Stalin sure has some odd ships with him _Walker thought. He straightened his uniform, glanced at the medals, and walked out of the Bridge to inspect his ship.

…

The Arbiter's fleet and the Prophet's fleet conjoined to form the _Grand Fleet of Vengeance and Pardons _where Supercarriers reigned supreme over the various Cruisers and corvettes that were with them. Thel, in a new armor set- the original Arbiter armor except no parrot-beak helmet and grey color. It was greenish in color, lit with bright yellow lights. The new helmet looked like a General's but instead of a horn there was a ring with wings. Thel and his Shipmaster Rtas strolled down the Bridge of their vessel.

"This seems odd and uncomfortable my Arbiter." Rtas spoke.

"I understand your concerns friend. I must say that the Prophet seems to be trustworthy, were it impossible to doubt him. Speak safe around him, many brothers and sisters have been oath-fully bound to serve him. A quest for vengeance? To kill the vile Truth was the end of my journey, but it seems that perhaps I have more to accomplish. The task to-"

"Save our brothers and sisters while heralding the doom to the confused is one we cannot tread lightly Arbiter." the Prophet spoke. He appeared on a Drone-like device that was hovering in the Hallways. Rtas grunted with surprise and annoyance. Thel did the same, except he showed a lighter mood when he responded.

"Yes my Prophet. However it is necessary…how goes the lives of my enslaved brothers and sisters?" The Arbiter slyly remarked. The Prophet laughed and replied with,

"If only they were here to respond themselves. Oh but they are- because I ENJOY having their input to the matters we discuss about. They are not slaves, no Arbiter. They are loyal and righteous. How long will you doubts be with you? I patiently wait for them to die."

"My doubts or the ones serving under you?" Rtas asked. He then smacked the drone and it flew into the wall. The Prophet was surprised. He sighed and then sat back in his floating chair. He was young, and was wearing a purple robe. The crown he had on glinted from the light in the Temple he was in. His shipmaster was in charge of the Supercarrier. _Oh when will you and your men understand that I am here to help, not harm? Ugh, my journey is quite troublesome…but it is one that must occur. For the reputation of my species must be recognized not as religious barbarians but intelligent beings of great obedience _the Prophet thought to himself.

…

Richard tackled the Biker to the floor, while he also used the fork he grabbed off the Diner table to stab the man in the chest. The heavy-set Biker screamed and threw him off. His buddies circled Richard, one even pulled out a Handgun. Richard tried to get away but the Bikers got the best of him- smashing their fists against his face and gut. Out of the corner of Richard's eye he saw a metal-tipped boot crash against the forehead of one Biker while a big cane came down on the neck of another. This allowed time for Richard to get up, and grab his bag containing the packages and letters.

"Didn't ya' mother ever tell you to keep your hands to yourself?!" a gruff voice yelled. The old man kicked again while keeping the other Bikers away with precision strikes with his wooden cane. Behind him came a big burly figure, that ripped off the table from the ground and flung it at the group of Bikers. They were blown back, where they ran to their modified bikes and sped away.

"Boy get ya' black ass up." the voice commanded. Richard picked himself up off the floor, bag slung across his chest. He had a black and swollen eye, along with a split lip and aching gut. The big burly figure was shown to be a Philippian looking man. The old guy was North American though. The big one had an undershirt on, with some black pants and some dark black boots. His hair style was a buzz cut. The old man was dressed very much like an old geezer- with outdated clothes and grey hair.

"Thanks for the help sir." Richard spoke. The big one picked Richard up with one arm and sat him down. The Diner was mostly empty now, the occupants fled after the fight broke out. The Waitress and staff were still inside- hiding in places.

"Never mind that, you're looking a real mess young one." the old guy spoke. He leaned on his cane and stooped forwards.

"I'm Samuel and this is my acquaintance Ricky. We were sitting in the back there when those Bikers showed up. Now why did you piss them off in the first place CAN I GET A DAMN COFFEE HERE SANDY?! JESUS! They only came here to have fun."

Richard sat back in his seat. He felt his banged up face, and then sighed. Huffing angrily he said,

"Fun does not mean cuss and violently flirt with the Waitress."

"Well I bet Sandy here knows how to accept it and just take it." Samuel coolly responded. He was testing Richard here.

"How the hell can you say that old man?! What are you, a cold old fucker who-?"

"Who can agree that you did the right thing by challenging those Bikers, and I would have done the same SANDY?! FOR THE LOVE OF FUCKING GOD WOMAN!"

Sandy rushed over and diligently poured some piping hot coffee into Samuel's cup. He kissed her cheek and thanked her.

"Mmm. Walk with me here boy. Come along now Ricky." Samuel said after he took a sip. Richard got up and slowly but surely made his way out of the roadside Diner with the two odd men to wherever they were taking him.

…

The Master Chief sprinted away from the Elevator along with Murdokk and Beronica. Murdokk handed Chief a Rifle. Beronica went on ahead to some Engineers who had made it out of the Impact Zone. Infiltrators were swarming the area.

"It's a massacre in there!" one screamed.

The trio met up with some pinned down Nareesi. That group was with Ghrvey when the Infiltrators fought their way in from a Boarding Shuttle.

"Yeah, he's still in there. He's prepared to blow the area off, Fire Control Teams and Emergency Squads will seal off the area for good. Yeah a chunk of the ship will be missing- but we have to work with what's given to us." one of the Nareesi said to the group.

"When you stumble?"

"YOU GET BACK UP!"

The group cheered and charged the area, a bloody mêlée broke out, the Chief was still trying to work the Rifle out. Cortana was giving the best tips she could.

"No try the other way. N-no you hold it like a Rocket Launcher Chief- I think."

"Cortana, I HAVE THIS." John responded angrily. He was then grabbed by a large Infiltrator and the gun fired into the wall. The charge messed with Chief's optics, and he was blind.

(I have the VIP, let's move out of here. Rig the place to blow! Let these Wretched suffocate HAHA!) the Infiltrator said. The inside of his helmet showed his mandibles and throat moving back and forth. The thing cloaked, with Chief still trying to get his optics back online. The other Infiltrators moved back and fired their laser-guns as a last ditch attempt to kill as man Nareesi as they could. The Chief kicked the Infiltrator and rolled, blindly he punched a Nareesi in the face and then kicked an Infiltrator in the back- having the thing smash down onto the Anti-Gravity button. Everything began to float, and the Silphs had the advantage as they flew through the air at the Infiltrators. The Insects jumped back and fired, one grabbed the Chief's ankle and dragged him into the door. The black armored Insects cloaked and double-timed it back to their Shuttle, where the ship made a hasty and covert escape back to the Hive Ship.

(We have done it! If only it could communicate with us. Remember, it is still considered a mystery, this Alien. Be sure to detain it, constrict it's motions.)

Cortana managed to have those words translated with the information she had stored about Insect and bug species and their communication. Vocal patterns were uncovered, and a rough but young voice spoke out into the Chief's helmet.

"Ugh, Cortana?" John asked while struggling to escape his binds.

"Chief I thought a Spartan as valuable and talented as yourself would have easily defeated these large bugs?" Cortana quipped.

"Ugh, lock it down." John wearily said. The energy he released with the fuckfest in chapter 6 had drained him. He relaxed and began to assess his situation. The Infiltrators took off their helmets, revealing crazy looking Prawn and Mantis shaped heads with Cricket features added into the mix. You could still see the facial expressions and emotions when they spoke though. This species looked like one that had just been through a rough period of time and wanted to get some sleep. I guess that explains how the conflict started- but it escalated when the planets and Hives began to be obliterated.

(Who knew there were other beings in this Galaxy other than the Wretched?) one spoke.

(Maybe one day we can finally have piece, once every single one of the Wretched is gone from this galaxy.) another responded. This one looked to the Leader of the group. The shuttle came closer and closer to the Hive Flagship with every word.

…

**WHOO. I want you guys to see that the Insects have also had a hard time. Inspiration comes from District 9, great film. Walker and Admiral Stalin will uncover the mysteries of **_**Dolby **_**while Richard goes through his journey of meeting and helping folk while also accomplishing his mission. The Arbiter and the Prophet side-story will have to explained in length later on. Read, review, recommend. GOD BLESS YA CARLOS**


	9. Chapter 9: Bugger

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 9: Hidden Brittle

**Update time. I haven't wrote in a while. I might be doing a L4D story or a different videyah'game than Halo. Halo 4's SCANNED Trailer came out recently- woo they revealed John and his physique + nationality! Here's some info though- John's hair has grown back a bit instead of being as bald as a bird. Enjoy.**

…

"My Arbiter, we have entered the _Tortoise _system." a Bridge Elite said. The Arbiter cocked his head, while he lounged in his chair. His armor shimmering as if he was a being from the Heavens.

"Let our ships take point- enslaved brethren do not deserve to die first." he huffed.

The fleet split apart and the Arbiter's ships moved ahead of the mass of silver colored space-behemoths. The massive fleet slowly made it's way into the Star system. The Prophet came on the comms.

"Arbiter, my Intelligence officers have given me coordinates of a possible planet that contains Covenant. There are no Moons apparently, odd. Also, please rejoin the Fleet- through unity we achieve initiative- not just by initiative itself." The Prophet exclaimed merrily. The entire Bridge over on the Supercarrier was heard laughing through the comms.

"Shut it off!" Rtas ordered. The Arbiter stood up and went to view out of a window. Rtas joined him. The Fleet was readying to do a Slipspace jump. One by one the fleet began to whiz forward faster than the speed of light, reaching the planet. They were greeted by a line of four frigates- all packing Hybrid weaponry. A Prowler cloaked up when the Fleet came, and the one Destroyer stationed there began to go into a defensive position.

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" Captain Walker screamed. Wright the AI popped up and began to do a "shame on you" gesture with his hands.

…

The Master Chief woke up in a cell that was like a compartment in a honeycomb system. There was slimy goo stuff on the ground- it was smelling like honey and cinnamon, but also had the stench of wet dog.

"John?" Cortana asked. The Chief took his Helmet off. He revealed his rough but handsome face. Scarred, rugged, and grizzly with a slight beard- the Chief felt his face through his gloves. His fingers were slightly wrinkly, the gloves had cut off his sense of natural touch for a long time- so to caress something other than a weapon or some form of machinery was oddly uncomfortable to him. He had some hair growing on his head, colored light brown. His eyes were green, a dark color of green- frightening almost. He lay back against his cell.

"Yes Cortana?" he replied, wearily.

"Good to see you back. You drifted off to sleep after the drive. The Insect-Alien things were trying to find a good place to put you, but they were weary of you. They think we intentionally helped them by slamming our ship into the Nareesi ship. I have no Tactical Advice to give at the moment." she replied. Her voice was hopeful but also a bit tired.

"Cortana…how are you still functioning? I thought you were supposed to go rampant after seven years?" The Chief responded, a quizzing look in his dark green eyes.

"I…I don't know. Even with my corruption by the Gravemind, or the time we've spent just floating in space…it was a horrible time John."

The Chief sat up a bit after that. How did she survive this whole time? It must have been awful all alone.

"I almost killed you at times John. Hehe."

"W-what?!"

"It was a spur-pf-the-moment thing. I managed to control myself though. It…it was horrible. You must understand Chief I was alone to my thoughts for a vast amount of time! I was going crazy! I was going to kill you john, how did I survive? Why am I still alive?! ARGH!" she whined as she clutched her holographic head and fell to the ground. John went and crouched down, to comfort her.

"Calm down. C'mon, get back in. We'll get out of here, and we'll go back home. ONI or whatever else will be able to decipher what happened to you."

Cortana was plugged back into the Chief's helmet. She felt better, being close to him. It was a much better place to be, but the question still remained. An Insect Alien walked over to John's cell. It had a menacing looking Handgun in it's strange hand. It was wearing some armor, not much. What looked like green paint was on it's shoulder.

( Ah, the Outsider! Sorry for the room…we ran out of high quality rooms. The Hiveking and his Bride are here on this ship. It wouldn't be right for a total genetic stranger like you to stay near them while on this ship. Can you even understand me? Pfff.) The alien said. Cortana translated the best she could, and the Chief nodded at the creature. At the same time John had balled both fists, ready to kill with his bare hands. The Alien turned and walked downwards to more cells. Some had occupants, sleeping or sulking. Extra guards had been placed near the Chief's cell, he just hadn't seen them- with them being Infiltrators and all.

"These beings seem to be an equal level of intelligence and technology as the Nareesi." Cortana quipped. The Chief nodded,

"Didn't Cotton inform us that these creatures were around before the Nareesi. Ugh, Cortana run a better name for the Nareesi. A codename or callsign would be much better rather than us call them Nareesi. They don't address us as 'human' anyways."

"Okaay…how about this! Sylph, or something related to a Fairy. The Nareesi have the natural ability ti fly, and their technology seems much more advanced than ours war-wise. I mean, they haven't even invented AI's yet. I think the name fits."

"Sylpharians. Much better than the other name." Master Chief chuckled. He felt his face again and leaned against the wall.


	10. Chapter 10: Richard

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 10: Mother. Fucking. Ninjas. Son.

Richard and Samuel left the diner and headed to a set of Cars. They were futuristic, civilian model vehicles built for speed and luxury. They walked right past them and headed for a beat up and rusty truck. Rickie climbed in the back while Richard sat in the Passenger side seat.

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY. Get yo' black ass driving, Rickie's too big and I'm too old." Samuel yelped.

Richard awkwardly got out and got back into the truck. Samuel took his sweet time walking over to the passenger side seat and slowly getting in. Samuel told Richard where to go and the old truck rattled its way out of the small parking lot and out onto the highway. The sun was shining bright in the sky as the red and orange truck sped its way along the asphalt. Rickie lazed in the back, feeling the bright yellow sun on his face. Samuel just leaned on his cane, staring intently at the road- while Richard was uncomfortable about the whole situation he just accepted. The red and orange truck finally made it's way to the destination- a massive mansion in a valley that the road led down to. Lush vegetation and forest covered the mansion on it's sides while the huge gates and walls helped make the Mansion stand out against the bright yellow and dark green.

"Boy, this here is my home. Here, you're going to repay the debt you thrust yourself into."

"Gramps, what debt?" Richard replied.

"The one where we helped halt a beat-down on your body, boy." Samuel responded with a dry laugh.

"What exactly am I supposed to do to repay this 'debt'?"

The huge gates opened just as the truck came in. Richard parked the truck outside on the huge staircase that led up to the doors. The doors opened and a set of fine looking butlers came out, carrying towels and refreshments. Rickie jumped out of the back of the truck and landed on the ground with a huge WHUMP! Richard slowly got out as a butler came over and offered him some berry punch. He politely refused but Samuel took the whole pitcher and flung it right at him. Richard quickly ducked and the pitcher smashed into the ground.

"What the hell?!" Richard yelled.

Samuel took a towel, wiped his forehead, and led Richard into the Mansion. Richard held onto his pack like it was the most precious thing in the world. Samuel walked into the massive living room, set with extravagant furniture and huge amounts of technology. Samuel plopped himself down into a black couch, while Richard slowly set himself onto a brown chair. A Maid walked in.

"Sir Samuel, what would you like to have arranged for the guest?" she questioned. She was tall and fine. Hazel hair and dark brown eyes, complete with a perfect smile. Richard waved his hand as a greeting.

"Argh, he'll only be staying for a few days. Give him the best room aside from mine. Now, Richard, to work off that debt your mission here is to make me happy."

"W-what? You mean be like a jester? A Court Fool?!" Richard asked.

"No, just make sure you somehow make me happy. Aside from that mission, feel free to do whatever you want here- BUT you can't leave until the mission is complete." Samuel said, almost like a threat. Samuel leaned back and put his old cap over his eyes. He plopped his feet up against the huge coffee table and began to snore almost instantly.


	11. Chapter 11: Let us ponder

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 11: Let me think for a moment…

The frightening clicking and hisses the Insect-Alien made as they walked by the Chief's cell was unnerving, as well as disturbing. The heads would cock at extremely strange angles, and those extremely distinct eyes the Insectonoids had would pierce Chief's visor. The Master Chief, in his worn and torn, drab olive armor- would get up and inspect his environment. From the goo on the ground, to the thick metal the cell was created from- even to the small screws on the lights that illuminated the cell. He clunked around and about, formulating a battle plan in case the time came to escape. And the time would come….

…

The UNSC Destroyer stationed at the planet _Dolby _along with the various Frigates and the one Prowler it had with it- had just been amazed to see an enormous Covenant fleet arrive. The Arbiter and his fleet led the way, while the Prophet's fleet accompanied the rear. The frigates propped up their Point-Defense Turrets while Captain Walker of the UNSC Destroyer _Arctic _was preparing his MAC guns for constant fire. The Prowler lied in its cloaked state, inspecting the scene from afar.

"Captain, although the situation may be a bit tense- may I remind you that our Reactor energy is still being blooded out by an unknown anomaly within our craft. Same goes for the rest of the ships. Maybe the Admiral is investigating this?" Wright asked. His orange Hologram standing at attention. Before Walker could respond, a Video Conference was accepted by Stalin and his feed came up,

"Walker, mind telling me what the fuss is?" Admiral Stalin came on to say. His grizzled features darkened by the dim lights of the Bridge he resided in. Brow all the more furrowed.

"Sir, we have a massive fleet, twice the size of the one that attacked Reach- that has showed up here! They have not fired yet, nor have they proclaimed themselves allies. We need you back here if the fighting begins, sir." Walker exclaimed.

Stalin stepped backwards, the light gone from his face. His clean white uniform stood out in the Bridge. He sighed, and had to ponder for a moment.

"Negative son. I need these ships here with me. I swear, under any and all Gods, I will return for you. Until then, God help you." and with that, the comm signal cut off. With the new video projectors on the Bridges, messages were taken more seriously as you look at the speaker's face and notice their features. Admiral Stalin combated this psychological issue, by dimming his Bridge lights every time there was a Video Conference. Lets just say, Walker still got the message,

"Well shit."

…

The Arbiter stood from his throne/chair and surprisingly yelled,

"Human! Here?! All hands, cease defense protocols. We are allies here…no matter how slimy these beings may be to us."

Rtas relayed these orders to the rest of the massive Fleet. The Prophet acknowledged, and his Ship's Plasma Batteries and Turrets were left depleted of power. The Prophet came on an Audio Conference with the Arbiter,

"Surely Arbiter, humans cannot be conspiring with the Covenant to destroy their own species?" the Prophet snided. The Arbiter huffed and replied with,

"Surely your Intel was off. This planet seems to be remote, and equally important to the Humans as to us. Most troubling. Our fleet size no doubt has them fearing for their lives. All ships fall back, send a Spirit in to quell their fears. We are not here to harm them. Diplomacy, protocols and such."

The large portion of the fleet turned and slightly retreated, however a few ships and the Arbiter and Prophet's Flagships took point. A lone, green painted Spirit, outfitted with Grunts and Elites, along with a Jackal team- were sent out from the Arbiter's Supercarrier. The Frigates aimed their turrets at it, as it went in to one of them- the _Levine's Ring_. Rtas informed Thel of some strange news at the same time,

"My Arbiter- our ship's engines and Reactor are being depleted by power. I think the humans are powering us down?!" Thel stood up and ordered a very trustworthy and intelligent group of Engineers to move in and explore this issue. They happily floated down, admiring their leader and his less tyrannical form of command- still scarred from when the old Covenant would strap them with bombs and force them to fix.

…

**Wow, laziness and Hurricane Sandy sure can make a story fall behind with updates eh? I'll continue to upload this. I think some more smex is needed, and I have seen the mistakes I've made. If you have a question, why not put it in a rant, in a REVIEW! Something I'd love to read. Have a great one folks, stay safe, stay golden. **


	12. Chapter 12: Slap a Hoe

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 12: Slap a Hoe

"Chief! Chief!" Cortana asked. She awoke him from his daze.

"I'm…I'm here." the Master Chief responded. He had emerged from a long Cryo-sleep but at the same time the frost left him tired and weak. Not only that, but his entire being and upbringing had just been warped with the sex he had. It was entirely against what the Chief had been bred to unacknowledged. It was like an Elephant suddenly eating meat.

The cell doors opened up to reveal two armed Insectanoids. One gestured for the Chief to come out. The other stood at attention, glancing around at the other cells when he could. The Chief briskly stood up and eyed them up.

"I don't like the looks of them Chief. However prior knowledge tells us that their friendlies…go with the flow on this one." Cortana quipped. The Chief stalked out, the Insect-Aliens accompanying him on either side. They walked through the Brig, the Chief occasionally looking at some Prisoners sleeping, studying holobooks, or working out. They were either the very same Insects, or other forms of life- Mammalians, or what looked like Sea Creatures. Almost all of them were very "ghetto" looking. Rags, tattered clothing- tattooed, and scarred- all resided in this massive Brig. They would look up and see this amazingly strange creature that was the Chief. One even knelt to the ground and crawled backwards in fear.

"I guess we're finally going to meet the Head Honcho here on this craft. I believe we're VIPs, take caution Chief- be sure not to antagonize their leaders-"

"If we even greet them. Besides, these soldiers look like they're official enough."

"We're guests here Chief. Not Terrorists."

"Insurgents seemed easier to kill, and they wouldn't take us to their leaders Cortana."

The trio came to a guarded elevator, and they stepped in. _Not another lift _the Chief thought. It was already bad enough with the memory of _Crows Nest _and now the Sex-Situation in the Sylpharian Elevator. The long trip was disturbed with chatter from the Aliens, windows that displayed intel rooms or armories, or even just conference areas- all orange lighted and slimy with the honey goo in some form.

(This is it. Get ready Newcomer. The Throne Room awaits.) one of them said.

(Don't be so dramatic. Don't worry still don't know whether we should consume you or let you go.) the other chirped.

(Don't be disgusting Harold.) the bigger one replied.

"Harold? For Insect-Beings from another Galaxy they seem to have incredibly normal names than the Sylpharians." Cortana acknowledged.

The Elevator stopped, and the gilded doors opened to reveal a massive room with Computers, crates, chairs, desks, a small Armory, and a huge Bridge Area. Checkpoints marked off locations, like tiers. The Armory was locked off from the Bridge, and both of them from the throne Room. The Chief was pushed in, only to meet an armed escort of seven guards. Their green painted rifles aimed at the drab olive armored Spartan. The Master Chief walked in and was brought to the Hive-King. A gigantic Insect which resided in a large chair. He had what looked like a Crown on his head, and a cape with hexagons embellished on them. He rose, his massive talon/foot thing landing on the ground. It reminded Chief of a Hunter at full Height- and even taller. For a better comparison, the Hive-King was at least as tall as a Scarab's leg.

"Cortana, be sure to run all of this with your memory banks, and translate as best as you can. This guy looks tough, and I do not intend to get him angry." the Chief commanded.

"Aye aye captain." Cortana quipped.

(Ah, you are here Newcomer! Welcome to my ship, the _Glorious Pavilion_! Newcomer, answer me this…how did you get here and why help us?) the Hive-King spoke. He lumbered about the Throne Room. Guards everywhere, Technicians and Crewmen all staring at either him or the Chief. The Chief began to speak, explaining how his ship had somehow been sucked into this battlefield by a device the Sylpharians used. But there was a slight issue,

"Uh Chief…I have a problem." Cortana hesitantly said.

"Let me guess, you can translate them but I cannot communicate back?" Chief replied.

"You should run Chief." the AI insisted.

(Well, seeing how we cannot communicate at this time- take it back to its quarters. Also, is that slit supposed to be there?) the Hive-King asked, pointing out the slit where Chief's flaccid dick was slightly pointing out of.

(I don't believe so my king.) a sultry and luscious Insect spoke. A slick looking female Insectanoid walked from behind the Hive-King. She was half his height, and dressed in a royal garb. Her legs would be exposed every time she took a stride forwards, exposing these incredibly human looking anatomy. The Chief narrowed his eyes from behind his visor at this new one. Cortana began running a data breakdown on her,

"Well, this seems to be a female of this species. Alarmingly, she shares a familiarity to our own female, minus the insect limbs, and extra small arms attached to either side of her lower torso. The female Insectanoid strode to the Chief and ushered the guards to back off a bit. She took her time feeling up the Chief's armor, and inspecting him. The Chief took the best of his ability to disregard her, he knew if he tried to shrug her off it'd be a sign of disrespect towards the Hive-King. It took her pale gray hand to touch the slit in his skinsuit at his crotch region, for him to grab her hand and push her away. She was shocked, and backed up a bit.

(My dear, back away from him now.) the Hive-King asked. His buff and enormous body walking closer to his wife. She went up to the Chief and glared at him. She put up one hand to his shoulder, and she intently stared into his visor. The Chief was about to slowly take it off when a guard somehow fumbled with his weapon and pushed into the Chief. The Chief then accidentally pushed his strong hand to the Hive-Queen and she seemed to be punched. The Hive-King, enraged, smacked the Chief aside and ordered his Guards (including the one who fumbled) to take him back to the Brig. His Scientists were to take charge of him now, and they unknowingly to the Chief, were sadistic bastards.

"No!" the Chief yelled, as he was grabbed and dragged to the Elevator. He quickly punched one guard and took his gun, he was about to fire it at another when the gun went _click_!

(Our weapons only with the DNA of our own species. Foolish Newcomer!) a guard yelled and he bitch-smacked the Chief with a powerful strike. The Chief's head spun to the side, but he slowly turned his head back to the guard and stabbed the man right through chest with the sharp end of the gun. Yellowish-Green blood sprayed from the front and back of the guard. The chief pushed the guard back and tackled again. This time the Chief was clipped right in the torso with a few rounds of the rifles the guards had. His shields deflected the bullets, so one fiercely kicked him in the face and he was out cold. It was like a Gravity Hammer to the forehead.


	13. Chapter 13: Glorious Pavilion

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 13: Glorious Pavilion

"Chief-"

"Cortana, did you map out and store the routes of the Brig while we were walking to the Throne room?"

"Yes but-"

"Good. Be sure to stay on the ball and tell me where to go in case things get hairy."

"You got it Chief, we're here to take care of each other."

The Spartan was escorted by two armed Insectanoid Guards, each growling and menacingly jabbing the Chief in the back with their guns. They only had an armored torso and shin guards, the rest painted skin or exoskeleton. The large one picked up the Chief by his neck and threw him into the cell. The other one went to the accompanying cell and shot out jeers or threats o the inhabitant inside. The guard was about to turn away when a shiny shank was thrust into his backside. The large guard turned around only to have the Chief jump on him and use his hidden combat knife to stab the thing in the torso, yellowish blood spurt out onto the ground. The cell next to the Chief's opened, and a gaunt looking Insectanoid with a missing arm walked out. It had tattered clothing, and a scar on its face. It was clearly a prisoner, and the kicking of the dead guards body on the ground, plus the looting of it's corpse helped emphasize the fact. The one-armed figure grabbed the keys of his cell and went to other cells, unlocking the prisoners inside. They walked out, each ready to rumble.

(Prisoner escape! Guards, get to their sectors! Shoot to kill!) one armed Officer said. Cortana translated, and the Chief ducked behind the short fence wall attached to the pathway his cell block contained. He cleaned his knife and got ready to fight. One Insectanoid Guard ran down his pathway, firing shots at the Chief- the Chief rolled and flung his combat knife into the guard's face, having the thing flip over backwards and slump onto the ground.

"Chief!" Cortana warned, as a guard fired point blank into the Chief's back. The shots went through his shields, revealing his armor. The guard's weapon jammed, and it angrily flung it aside only to have it caught by the one-armed Insectanoid prisoner. The being spun, weapon in hand, and fired sure shots into the guard's face- lethal blows. The Chief got up and stared at the thing. It stared back, and then after a moment it gestured to the Chief to follow it. Cortana tried her best to translate the Alien talk of the prisoners as they rebelled against their guards and took weapons, the Chief in the middle of this hell.

(Brothers! Here we are, prisoners of crimes we committed, acting rash and uncontrolled. For all ye who repent and go unto a journey of salvation-take the first step and overthrow the demons who contain you within this ship! Our mission is to leave! And this, is step one!) the one-armed Alien yelled. Orange shots whizzed everywhere, and vicous cheer erupted from the prisoners. Guards were felled, by bullet or shank. Other were thrown off over the guard rails. The Chief followed the alien to the main elevator, the ground covered in blood and gore as the guards next to it lay dead. A Hunter-sized Crustacean Creature flung a Guard over the guard rail, into the crowd of insane prisoners kept below. They tore the fellow to shreds. The alien gestured to the creature,

(Being, this is Kaduk the Mighty. Watch as he frees these doors for us, bending to any whim as it frees him from this hell and leads to salvation!)

The being roared and used its claw arms to grab onto the Elevator doors, and he ripped them off. Armed Prisoners, intoxicated by the idea of freedom and salvation from their crimes- followed Koduk, the Alien, and the Chief into the massive Elevator. All eyes were on the chief or the one-armed Alien.

(Being! I am Ja'bee, commander of the 148th battalion. Imprisoned for the crime of retreating from certain death…my mission was to get my men safely out of an area where almost all were pinned. But under the rule of our corrupt Hive-Queen, we were forced to obey her orders of staying until victory or all were dead. Neglecting these orders, and saving my men- the Hive-Queen ordered us to be imprisoned on this vessel unto execution at our home world. For six months, I've rallied my men and other prisoners- our mission is to escape this ship with out lives. Through religious salvation, and the power of revenge- our mission will be completed. YOU. You are the what we need t complete this plan. We are tagged, and therefore cannot activate any technology in this ship. Activate the 3rd Hangar Bay, and let us fly off to salvation- you are free to do whatever you want during this mission. Do you accept?) the Ja'bee spoke, he spoke with such gusto and brilliance the men in the elevator yelled with courage and pride after his speech.

"Uh Chief, avoiding death from these Barbarians sounds much better than you know- being torn to shreds if you ask me." Cortana quipped.

The Chief looked at the crowd and nodded deeply. The elevator doors opened to reveal a firing line of Guards, and they shot right into the Crowd. Ja'bee alien grabbed the chief and dragged him behind Kaduk. The trio, along with a few survivors managed to plow right into the firing line, scattering the guards. Sent into a fanatic panic, the guards scrambled to run from Kaduk and Ja'bee's men. The Chief knifed and melee'd his way to the center of the room. The group rallied and stormed Hangar Bay 3, heavily armored Guards firing miniguns everywhere. Bullets whizzing past their heads, the group managed to subdue one. The Chief picked up the minigun just as Cortana spoke.

"Chief, I've managed to reverse engineer those weapons to now work with your suit. Fire that weapon Spartan! Go! Go!" Cortana exclaimed. The Chief went into a fierce stance and he opened fire on the Gunships flying about the massive hangar- dropping down troopers. Ja'bee had hijacked one and he picked up the Chief. Kaduk hopped in just as it flew up, and the gunship flew towards the bay exit- just as a missile smashed into the gunship causing it to crash into the floor and skid to a halt.

"Chief! …Chief! …John!" Cortana desperately yelled, and the Chief stood up immediately. He looked around with his clouded vision- his head ringing and hurting from the violent crash. Kaduk was dead- torn in half and lying on the ground. He was propping up a cockpit wing when he died, and inside was Ja'bee clutching a small package.

(Being, escape from this place. May you get your freedom, and kill the Queen…go!) Ja'bee persisted. The Chief ran away from the crash site, as bullets whizzed by him. A whole swarm of guards came to check on the site- only to have it explode in an orange inferno of death. The Chief dived just in time, as the searing heat went over him and to the heavily armored Guard in front. The Insectanoid literally turned to dust, having all aspects of his physique burn away to ash.

"The door, to your right! Through there will be the first bay of escape pods, jettison yourself from this ship! Now! I think the Nareesi vessel should still be in orbit, the battle's still going on Chief- don't blow up in space while you're taking a girl for a ride!" Cortana laughed.

Sprinting through the door and past guards, the Chief rolled his way into one of the Escape Pod Bays- just as the Guard inside was locking it down. The Chief smashed the Guard's face into the console, making sure it wouldn't open again- and he climbed into the cylindrical tubes. He inserted Cortana to the Escape Pod's network- and she jettisoned them out into the battleground between the massive flagships. The pod narrowly escaped crashing into a Insectanoid cruiser, and it went onto to fly near the Nareesi flagship.

"The Sylpharians are right there Chief! Jump for it!" Cortana screamed. John grabbed Cortana's chip and opened the hatch and he thruster boosted his way out into space, the momentum carrying him to a platform area. The Chief braced himself for a hard landing, and he slammed into the platform. Crawling his way to the Airlock- he frantically inserted Cortana to a panel, and she quickly opened it up. John stood, grabbed Cortana from the console- and he dived in just as the doors shut. The compartment filled with air again, pressurizing the place. Lying there for a few minutes, catching his breath and letting his body rest from the weary escape- he rolled quickly to his feet when the other Airlock opened.

"Would you look at that?" Ghrvey resounded. He had a Rifle aimed right at John, and he lowered it to usher John in. He sealed the Airlock- and introduced John to the Sylpharian Marines all amazed and dumbfounded.

"How was the trip?"

…

The Queen fiercely screamed with rage. She threw a small pot containing these glowing beads. It smashed into the Bridge Wall. She spun and strut about, clothing swaying with every step.

(The scoundrel escaped?! How could you let this happen?! ARGH! I want every officer in charge of the Brig executed! Jettison their body into space, they don't deserve an honorable death!) she sneered.

The massive Hive-King, lumbered in. He placed a hand on his wife's smaller shoulder. She flung it off and stormed out of the Bridge to the Throne Room. The Hive-King, sighed and turned to his Commander.

(Don't listen to her orders. How many casualties?) he spoke, his deep voice echoing around the room.

(Too much, sir.) the Commander replied.

(Grrr…who led the rebellion? And how did the New prisoner escape through this?)

(Ja'bee led the rebellion sir. The new prisoner somehow worked with Ja'bee to escape. However Ja'bee and all of his men were killed in the process. The prisoner narrowly escape us, he used an Escape Pod to fly into space. We don't know his path sir.)

(What?! I ws going to let Ja'bee go! He was a good man who didn't deserve the wrath of our _queen_! With great men serving under him…I guess it's no surprise the Newcomer worked with him. Damnit…if only he waited more! ARGH!)

The Hive-King stormed out, cape flowing heroically almost. He stalked off to his chair, and sat to silently honor Ja'bee. _You went down fighting _the Hive-King thought with gladness. He ordered his ships to push the assault on the Nareesi. Angry at them and his wife, at Ja'bee and the Newcomer- at anyone and everyone! But most of all to his Queen, he loathed her…but other things still rang out in his mind that were superior to anger…like how was this war ever to end properly?


	14. Chapter 14: Mako

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 14: Mako

"Samuel, Ricky asks if he can go to the city." the maid said. Same one from before, hazel hair and dark black eyes. She had a classic maid outfit on, black and white with a skirt and the tiny bonnet thing. Richard wasn't an expert in what maid's wore so he couldn't describe her perfectly, but he did try his best.

"*snore*"

"SAMUEL!" she screamed, eyes wide.

"I'm still alive woman! Just let me get some shut-eye! He has to be back by seven, I have a party to go to…soldier reunion and such." Samuel responded. He got up from the couch and stretched himself. It had been an awkward 25 minutes of just sitting in the mansion's living room while Maid walked around and cleaned or Butler's went from place to place flirting with said Maids. Of course they also had their fair share of work to do, but most spent their time ignoring it. Richard just sat in his seat, fiddling through his pack, scoping the place out. The maid came over to him, she was a bit older than him and quite attractive- however she was all business.

"Sir Samuel is now going to be spending the rest of his time in the mansion. He has appointed me beforehand that you are to do whatever you wish while staying here…please don't abuse his generosity kid?"

Richard smirked and got up from his seat.

"As long as you stop calling me kid. We're practically the same age."

She smiled in return and roughly pulled him by the arm out of the living room. She showed him to his room pointing out the various places in the Mansion. Eventually she led him to a room at the end of a hallway…it looked a bit old. Like no one had cleaned it for awhile. Strange, seeing how hardworking and diligent the staff was here.

"That room…is Sir Samuel's secret room. Please do not enter…seriously. He spends his time alone in there for hours and hours. Comes out feeling a bit sad and sluggish." the maid said.

"Ok, yeah…I can do that. You know whats in there?" Richard responded.

"Well…no. But hey, if you ever do get a peak in there, let me know. It's been bugging me for ages."

"Haha alright. And, uh, you are?"

"Ha! Oh right, I'm Penelope. Just call me Penny, you seem like a nice enough guy."

The two aid their good-byes, and Penny left. Richard was alone in the bright hallway. The lights were shining off the tiled floor, and he noticed just how dirty his shoes were. He looked down at his clothing and saw how much of a mess he looked like. Shaking his head, Richard turned around and walked out of the hallway, only to bump into Samuel. He looked down at the man, his eyes meeting Samuel's old glasses. The man put his cane up, and jabbed Richard out of the way. Richard backed off and then moved to the side. Samuel grunted and said,

"Boy."

But his voice seemed to falter at the end somewhat. Richard looked to the man with a surprised look, and he watched as Samuel went to the door and opened it. He slipped in and the door shut with a violent sound. Richard slumped a bit, but he walked away, confused a bit. Still though, the mansion looked sweet and must contain some great stuff. He entered the living room, passed a kissing couple of a Butler and a Maid, and eventually he made it to the front door(s). He pushed it open, and saw a motorcade of limos and cars, all with UNSC symbols on them. Richard, afraid they'd notice him and question about his job of delivering the packages- which he had NOT done- slowly backed away indoors, to safety. Richard wiped his forehead with relief, until he saw Penny walk by with a Butler's tie, still attached to the man, dragging the man into another area of the mansion.

"What the-?" but before he could finish, Penny saw him and she squealed a bit in surprise. She pushed the Butler away, his face contorted with confusion and shock- and she quickly strode away. Richard saw hints of a blush on her face as she stalked off. Richard helped the butler steady himself after the push.

_What exactly is up with everyone today? _Richard thought to himself.


	15. Chapter 15: Message from Me! Accendrix

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 15: Authors Notes

**Reading through this, and reading the great reviews by my amazing readers, I've noticed how many errors I've made. Yes, my continuity and grammar can be touched up- and I have acknowledged that. Probably won't fix them seeing how I'm a lazy fuck, but I've been spellchecking and proof-reading more than the blind posts I submitted in the first parts of this tale.**

**Let's see…well I have done the requests for stories I've gotten. I've also made a story that takes place after Halo 4. Check that out? …No? Okay well it includes hot smex so sucks for you.**

**I do shoot out requests fast, but they do stress me. This story seems to be a bit bland now that the events of Halo 4 have been played **

**SPOILER**

…

…

(RIP Cortana) I know she's still alive.

…

…

**END SPOILER**

**So yeah…I'm still going to continue with this despite the storyline.**

**I have my ambitious Skyrim tale going on, updates will be slower for that one than this as I have to play Skyrim while also jotting down notes of the area when trying to incorporate it with the story. I literally went into the Ragged Flagon and walked around for 10 minutes before writing. DEDICATION. **

**I'm reading through some Mass Effect and Portal Fanfics, along with L4D. Maybe I'll do a crossover? Heh? I like that idea. **

**Portal and L4D Crossover…the diabolic gears of my mind now turn.**

**Halo 4 story chapter coming up next, I want to reach 30 chapters, as that's the point where the tale will end. Thank you guys/girls SO MUCH for the reading, and/or other things you do when reading my stories. **

**.**

**.**

**Stay golden. That Crossover story…seems so tasty as of the moment. Oh, plot ideas coming in! See ya!**


	16. Chapter 16: Dolby

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 16: Dolby

"Admiral, we've found the opening…just as the data says."

Stalin briskly walked from the Holo-table to his Captain's chair. He slumped in it, and but his crash-belts on. The rest of the crew of his Cruiser did the same. The Cruiser was orbiting in atmosphere above a massive hole in the planet Dolby. It looked to be like a Shield World! The Cruiser slowed down and then sped right into the hole, while the other Cruiser and the Destroyer accompanying him went in also. After the three ships made it inside the bright hole, what appeared to be a transparent green screen of energy went up and covered the hole- blocking any access of entering or escaping. Stalin huffed a bit as the Cruiser sped downwards to the planet, they were flying past all thee Forerunner walls of technology as they passed through the shield and down to the planet below. Finally after what seemed like an hour of flying (when it was only 10 minutes) all three UNSC vessels emerged upwards into a planet where lush forests and jungles surrounded the terrain. All around were massive, Supercarrier sized Installations of towers or base structures, all having some aspect of their exterior covered with vegetation.

"All hands, activate scouting- look for that damn structure. Failure is not an option. Sources indicate at the least 3 separate installations all suspected to hold the objective. Fireteams, move in and check out every nook or cranny of that place. We can't have hostile forces massacring our Science Teams." Stalin commanded. A short time later Pelicans and Longswords swarmed out of the hangars from the ships- they spread out and flew to each of the Installations. The enormous swarm split up to three divisions and it those three each went to a Tower. Rivers and lakes surrounded the bottom of the towers while large mountains with peaks of snow rose up from behind the towers. Stalin told the Destroyer _Memory _to guard the opening of the Shield World. The other Cruiser and Stalin's own went ahead to separate parts of the planet, eager to observe more of this place.

The colonization fleet was sent as an excuse to observe this planet, it was a win-win though. Homes for refugees while the UNSC got their hands on more mysterious forerunner technology. However reports from Lance Walker, of a Covenant Fleet twice the size of the one that attacked Reach worried him. Were they here for the same thing? Hopefully not.


	17. Chapter 17: Hot Death

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 17: Hot death

Ghrvey took the Chief with him and his Security Team to an area of fancy looking airlocks. The tension in the air was like a cloud of rising CO2...some Sylphs were holding their breath in anticipation for the next barrage of fire onto the Flagship. Ghrvey had his clothe shirt ripped off, revealing a fit body- defined pectorals and a six-pack. The torso of this Sylpharian engineer was bulging with muscles. For his trousers, there were a ragged pair of fatigue shorts. He seemed to have had his whole Engineer outfit completely destroyed. He still had the black oily grease-look alike on his face, although the liquid was smudged a bit. With handsome purple eyes, and a charming aura from him, you could say that Ghrvey was a real looker for the ladies. Cortana seemed to think so, comparing the handsome features of Ghrvey t the rugged and armored Murdok. She twitched a little, inside the suit, slender and sexy blue leg going up to lightly kick the empty space beneath her. She titled her head and sighed a bit when the Chief caught a full look at his toned and hardy body. Breathing in and out of his mouth heavily- Ghrvey accessed a locked down door with a few fast but small strokes to the keypad operating it, and he revealed a technical area to the group.

"Right, the Captain told me how your suit can translate my speech, and vice-versa. Please for the bloody sake of understanding, don't blow yourself up. I advise you get the utter fuck out of this danger zone. I've already lost enough friends and associates- be bad enough if an alien died with them."

The Chief turned away and was about to follow his security escort out when Ghrvey grabbed his shoulder. He spun the Chief around and gave him a hard stare, right into his visor. After a moment he pushed the Chief away, chuckling to himself.

"You're tough…sorta reminds me of my father. Go, get you and your pretty little computer thing back to the Bridge. This naval battle is lost. Godspeed, alien." Ghrvey said, his voice never faltering- instead it sounded incredibly, undeniably heart-felt. The Chief clonked with the security team away from the room, with its assorted colors of large wires and technology that fizzed and crackled.

…

The elevator doors opened and out stepped the Chief. He held an unconscious heroic pose, before he walked out and clonked his way to the upper-bridge. Cotton was there, looking like he had just seen a ghost.

"Bless the God, there you are! I knew sending you down there was a bad idea, please disregard my foolishness. You…you are incredible, how'd you manage to escape?" he asked. Cortana then chirped in,

"Uh, sir- I think that it would be better to tell later, AFTER we get out of this doomed battle. You've lost half your fleet, and their numbers haven't dwindled all that much. And your ship seems to be in disrepair, we met up with Ghrvey on the way up here."

The crew of the Bridge began to belay orders and commands everywhere to the flagship and fleet. The battered fleet of Sylpharian ships began to huddle around the massive flagship. Cotton looked away, through the enormous window that showed the demise of his attack. He sighed and looked down. Turning back to the Chief, but addressing Cortana he said,

"Our fleet is running out of Yluminite. It powers our engines and reactors. The Flagship is the only vessel left with enough energy to warp-hop our way into friendly territory. Ghrvey volunteered to transfer all the energy from our weapons and shields to warp-hop us and all the other survivors of our fleet. He volunteered…for a suicide mission." Cotton croaked. He regained his posture a bit and stared right at the Chief. John understood the importance of Ghrvey's mission now, and he spun around and headed for the door.

"What?! NO! Chief, you've got to help them! I don't want him to die!" Cortana confessed. She seemed to turn a darkish red for a split second, and her voice went from the norm to a piercing yell of anger.

"Cortana? Calm down, I'm going to help. There must be another way." John replied, startled at her malfunctioning. She seemed to feel extremely humiliated and shocked at herself, quietly going-

"It'shappeningit'shappeneingohnoohno-"

A single radio message was sent reverberating through the Bridge. I was Ghrvey, sounding utterly at peace with himself and the whole situation he was in.

"Ah…captain. Friend. Alien…and all the rest of whoever is listening to this…be prepared for a warp-hop, a damn shaky one too. It's been an honor captain…and El'izcer, I lied when I said I was wearing protection. I love you, and the baby. Anyhow, see ya later folks. Win this war and end this mayhem."

The signal cut off- but as followed by an attractive light green Sylph rising from her large tech console seat, tears overwhelming her. She whimpered and then boldy said,

"I fucking love you too you son of a bitch…I love you too…." before she was comforted by a female friend next to her console.

The Chief grabbed onto a table, and the ship began to rock violently. The fabric of space was torn, and like needles through holes the flagship and its fleet of smaller ships were violently sucked into the light-green and neon yellow swirling portal. They disappeared, leaving the Insectanoid fleet victorious and proud. The energy being rushed and transferred to the reactors sent out massive surges of searing heat and molecular-disassembling energy. Ghrvey blissfully pushed a few buttons and pulled a lever as the orange tide of death smashed into him and turned him to ash, he merrily laughing right to the end.

Cheers of happiness went through the fleet, and the Hive-King exhaled silently, in relief. His wife seemed a bit angry, partly because her "assailant" had escaped with his life. She quickly left the room and dragged a guard with her, to his surprise. She threw the man down in a private bed, in a room she had ordered to be guarded. She then began to make love to the willing guard, trying to drown her troubles away with passionate sex she refused to give her husband.

(Good job my legions. Count up casualties, ritual burials, all that rubbish. We've won today, but this is only one victory in a 20 year long war of attrition…where's my wife gone off to?) the Hive-King asked. He stood up, quizzing looking at everyone. O one dare answer, as they all knew. The Hive-King…suddenly understanding, sat back down in his chair feeling humiliated and disrespected. He viciously ordered his men to get the fleet back to a safer location, while also giving dirty looks to anyone who cowered under his icy glare.

_One of these days…I'm going to have the time to teach that bitch a lesson…one of these days_, he thought to himself bitterly. He commanded his crew to track the location of the Nareesi, warp-hop, and he gathered a small kill-party of ships to go and hunt them down.

"Maybe when we blow them up in this unforgiving environment, the war will then end happily. Go forth my ships- carry on and eliminate them!"


	18. Chapter 18: Partyingpartying YEAH!

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 18: The Party

Richard had been forced to dress in some fancy suit Ricky bought when he was in the city. Samuel had walked out from the old room a while ago, and in a hurry he showered and dressed himself in a Military uniform, displaying his old medals- it was as if he was a walking and talking history book. He grabbed his cane and jabbed Richard in the cheek with it, stinging his already bruised face from after that biker brawl. Medi-gel helped a lot- but it still hurt. Ricky, dressed in the finest clothing he would allow the butlers to dress him with (a t-shirt and some cargo shorts, both massive) accompanied old Samuel and Richard as they walked out of the mansion and down the steps. The three then sat inside one of the limousines of the military motorcade, and off it went to the city. Richard had a white and grey suit on, with a black tie and some dress shoes. Samuel was dressed in a grey officer uniform, while Ricky lounged in his seat and read from a small book that barely fit inside his bear paws of a fist.

"Well boy, whatever you have in that bag must be awful important if you're brining it to a party and slash or dinner. I dunno' the nitty-gritty *mumble* *muble*" Samuel remarked, cocking his wide glasses over to Richar'd old and grungy pack.

"Aw, well it has some packages and letters I'm supposed to deliver." Richard replied, smirking a bit. He looked down at his shoes and tapped his feet a bit.

"I never figured you were a Mailman boy. Or a Paper Route boy…or a…ehh whatever." Samuel grumbled.

Something was bothering Samuel. If it wasn't the long blank stares he had while looking at the tinted windows, or the way he heavily sighed and then seemed to be in a deep prayer for a few minutes. The motorcade finally arrived at a large convention centre. The three individuals stepped out, and Richard led the old man in while Ricky accompanied them. They went through the rotating doors and emerged onto a large banquet hall with bright chandeliers and fancy tables all set. The small dance area was barren other than the occasional party-goer walking through to reach the other side. Richard whistled a bit while Ricky just lightly grunted in admiration. Samuel scowled a bit, and the trio were greeted by man in a blue suit. After a bit of mingling, the blue suited man led Samuel and his posse to their table, quite close to the small stage all the way at the side of the centre. The dance area was right behind them. Near the doors were the coat-takers and on the other wall was a massive table of assorted food, both foreign and street-meat. All the canisters or plates were covered, as the cooks and servers next to the table idly stood by, co-mingling with every dull minute. Eventually the room began to fill up with veterans and the such, wearing hats or armor pieces of their times when the war with the Covenant burned on. A Caucasian man with a long stride and medium build- wearing a green gilded but light grey tuxedo, briskly paced over to Samuel and the two embraced like brothers.

"Wade! You son of a bitch! How're are ya?" Samuel laughed, a bit dryly. He had a happy grin on his face, although some of it reeked with feign. The man called Wade nodded his head up and down like a madman, giddily laughing dryly also. The two shook hands for a long time, talking and speaking about the old times before the end of the war.

"Boy! Meet Wade Crispe. This man saved my life more than I can count…scratch that he picked me up for a moment before a plasma shell came down on our camp, after he threw me to the ground and ran away! AHAHAHAHHA!" Samuel barked. Wade grinned even more, nose and ears turning red. The old guy then walked off to meet other vets. But not before he leaned in and whispered something in Sam's ear, which plunged the old geezer into a look of utter gloom. Sam smiled a small bit when Wade took his leave, but he returned to his hunched over depressed look. Richard thought it'd be best not to respond.

The festivities began, an old Asian heritage man walked onto stage and bid the vets a healthy and happy welcome. He explained how meeting's like these, reunified the love the vets had for their fellow brothers or sisters in arms. Sure the war may have ended a while ago, but young and old would gather here to remember the times they had. It seemed stupid, to have a bunch of soldiers speak of death and destruction in such a chipper place like this. However no one didn't speak out against this idea, these motherfuckers saved humanity from annihilation and extinction. Shut your fucking mouth if you on't let them do what they want for a small while. Richard saw the daughters, sons, nieces and nephews, granddaughters or grandsons, cousins and extended family- babaloobagagabloo! *ahem* Richard saw them also walk into the ceremony with their mothers, fathers, grandfathers or grand mothers, uncles aunts, stepfathers stepmothers or brothers or sisters or extended family yaddablahblahgoo! YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

They strut in, feeling a bit nervous and uncomfortable in this place where people knew people. The occasional talk of Army Days, or Marine expeditions, etc. was broadcast out everywhere in this place- and they didn't understand a lick of it the rich and spoiled pieces of shit. However some strode in with fire and passion in their eyes, completely understanding the hell these fine men and woman went through. They could walk in and join any group of geezers and fit right in, enjoying drinks or eating appetizers at the same time.

"NOW! Now we would like for all of you to please sit down, and welcome our surprise guest of honor, SAMUEL "The Bandit" BANDICOOT!" the MC yowled.

"Oh you-"

"YEAH!" the crowd clapped and cheered. The name sounded familiar, but a Purdy lady bent down and revealed dat fine ass- and Richard was drawn more to that sight rather than think about the what "Bandicoot" meant. Richard gestured Sam up, and eventually Samuel stood up a bit awkwardly and uncomfortably. He shambled over to the stage, Richard in tow. Ricky was sleeping on the table they were seated at before. Richard's pack was with Ricky. Samuel took the microphone and clumsily caused a loud ringing noise, which hurt mostly everyone's ears. Richard cringed a bit, but he remained at Sam's side.

"Well…ladies and gentlemen I'd say more but than a hello but you all know how much of a party animal I may be. Like the time I used those needlers…back then…uh."

The crowd looked up with an awkward silence. Samuel struggled to speak for a moment before he went into a painful speech.

"Back when my boy was still alive."

Richard shockingly stared down at the old man, tears streaming from his eyes from behind his eye-glasses.

"Back then…it was simpler, but much more dangerous. Kill them or they'd kill you. Or WORSE. You all know you've seen it. What they'd do. Back then…the fucking alligators just sliced you or took you prisoner, one of this eat them and roast them alive bullcrap the apes pulled." Samuel remarked. The crowd seemed to grow gloomier as they remembered the viciousness of the war when the Brutes began to take power, and the great Schism occurred.

"I never really…I never really got over the fact that they killed him. Poor Tom didn't deserve to die! Oh god…Tom my boy! Oh god…" Samuel wept. Richard slowly backed off from the stage, his mind working at 100x its speed. He rushed to his pack, pulled out a worn envelope and carried it with him to the stage.

"Thankfully all hats over now, but with you friends…it's hard Not to remember that kind of stuff…what the hell is this?"

Richard had just handed Samuel the empty envelope. He had the latter in his hands, and Richard took the microphone off it's small stand.

"*ahem* Dearest father, I could say that I sometimes wish the times we spent fishing, hunting, or staring into the infinitely beautiful night sky- making vague guesses on where humanity was getting it's high and mighty ass handed to it the alligators and their friends. I could say that I miss mom, and I cherish your existence even more than my own- and I could say that I really want this war to end with you and I surviving it together, living to our old age and accepting death like an old pal. Sadly…the latter is not going to occur. Tonight, I go on a raid to a Covenant supply depot. There, my mission is to do the best I can with my team to make whoever works their, lives a living hell. It quite sad…going on a suicide mission just to somewhat harass the enemy. But war is war, and what ever I can do to make sure whoever else is fighting on this planet will SURVIVE…them my sacrifice will not be in vain. I love you father…continue to kick ass and take names. Catch you on the flip side 'Bandit.' Godspeed."

Richard finished the letter and handed it to Samuel. Richard turned to walk away when Samuel grabbed him and embraced him in a tight hug. The two stood there, and Samuel whispered into the microphone,

"Thank you boy. Thank you. You're free to go boy…get the hell outa here."

The crowd erupted in a pandemonium of joyful and incredibly sad clapping. Tears were everywhere, and Richard grinned in the old man's warm shoulder. They broke free, and Richard took his leave. That was one letter done…now onto the rest.


	19. Chapter 19: Setting Down

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 19: Setting down.

**"Wow, no activity whatsoever during Mon-Fri. But when the weekend rolls in, theres updates?! What is this?! What is this bullshit?!" You may be wondering. Well, take a guess why I update on weekends. Now looking through some of my Story Properties (and laughing at how Chapter 6 gets more visitors and views than some of the other chapters) I can see that DAMN! I have fans! Well that's excellent. I love you guys and girls, you're what make this. I could have just quit at chapter...six probably. Yet you guys drive me forwards with those reviews! I ALSO DO REQUESTS, did you not realize that yet? I have plenty of other ambitious stories going on, and I might just dig some more into my grave by adding another story! A...Left 4 Dead and Portal universe cross-over! OH MAH GAWD! MOTHA'MERSHEH! Do what you do, and do it good. Stay golden folks. **

* * *

The Diplomacy party sent in via spirit had docked with the _Levine's Ring._ Still no response back yet, however the Arbiter could see the significantly smaller UNSC fleet shift positions and move around. The Arbiter had ordered for a Video Com conference as soon as the Diplomacy Party had sent word back. It was a long wait, and tensions were high. Plenty of things were being fumbled as everyone's nerves got to them. This was the only meeting after the war where Sangheili and a large potion of the now disbanded Covenant had met the humans. Rtas was tapping his fingers on his gun console, ready to rally volleys towards the small fleet if they did use their powerful guns on the ships. The Prophet of _Lies and Vile Tales _was managing his fleet, making sure they were ready to try and subdue the humans non lethally- since the small string that held the two factions in peace with the other, could be easily snipped like a scissor to yarn.

"Launch seraphs and banshees, have them go on runs in a reasonable distance from the other fleet. We want to set up a territory line, but DO NOT engage the other vessels." the Arbiter ordered. He was about to hail the Prophet when the Diplomacy Team responded back,

"*CRR* Sir. Our vessel lost all engine power when we reached the human ships. We don't believe they used an energy dampener on us. Luckily they reeled us in, it seems their engines are working fine. My team is getting restless, many of us believe the humans deactivated us." an Elite spoke.

Rtas stood up and strode over to the Arbiter, as he lay in his chair, hand up to his bottom mandibles.

"So you have successfully entered one of their vessels?" Rtas asked.

"*CRR* Yes sir." an Elite answered.

Rtas looked down at the Arbiter. Thel was still in his state in his chair, he seemed to be deep in thought.

"My Arbiter…should we? …Inform the Prophet?" Rtas asked. The Arbiter grunted and stood up, towering over the other in his Supercarrier's Bridge.

"Inform his Shipmaster that our Diplomacy Team has entered. I want a Phantom ready to ship me over there. I don't feel right, having mere soldiers doing a job as precious as this."

As the Arbiter walked away, Rtas spoke calmly,

"Aren't we all but soldiers?"

The Arbiter laughed a bit, hints of deep thought in his deep laugh. He walked out the Bridge Door, his Honor-Guards standing at attention with their spears as he walked past with his light green and bright ivory armor.

…

The Spirit was hauled in by two Pelicans, the massive crafts dragging it in with thick cables that were fed from a belt out of the back of the Pelicans. They each slowed to a halt as they entered the Frigate's hangar. They touched down, and the Spirit landed a bit too roughly on the ground. Fire teams came in and began to set up an area at the Spirit's zone. The two drop doors of the Spirit flung open and smashed downwards. Immediately armored Marines and crew pointed their guns at the aliens that jumped off. The opposition did the same. Everyone was tense, until the Admiral of the Levine walked in, flanked by a group of armored Spartan-IV's. Somebody loudly cocked a shotgun, and the Admiral glared at the woman. She eased back a bit, but kept her barrel pointed at a Jackal's face. An elite Major, clad in decal-ed crimson armor, stepped forwards. He bowed when the Admiral greeted him. They both stared at each for awhile, scoping each other out. The Admiral then leaned forwards, and outstretched a hand. The Major looked at it, and then after a moment grabbed it and shook his alien hand with the Admiral's, more or less grabbing each other's wrists and shaking them.

"Welcome to the Levine. I'm Admiral Jakoby Hartlow, pleasure to meet you. Your comms working? Might want to inform your leader that we come in peace." the man asked. He was 5'10'' and quite hardy. He looked old though, very "Captainy" if you'd want to describe him. His large build and hearty voice helped add to his character, it was like talking to an old Submarine Commander back in the 21'st century. The Major ordered a Jackal to tell an Elite Minor that was checking out the damage to the Spirit to report back to the Arbiter. The Minor shrugged the beast off, but then touched a holo- panel inside the Spirit's cockpit, and he put a small radio set to his mouth. Admiral Hartlow mingled with the Major for a few moments before he spun around and belted,

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! This is Sagnheili Major Dun'cas Mari'juan. He's been sent here as a Diplomatic Party from the other fleet. AI Shakespeare, radio Walker and tell him we're not going to get our asses shot off!"

A bright purple AI popped up from a small screen attached to the wall of the hangar, it was a representation of William Shakespeare, complete with frilled leotard and pointed shoes. The man raised a skull in his right hand and dramatically stared at it while he held it up. He proceeded to quote a line from _Julius Ceaser _before he disappeared from the screen. Everyone around the deck dropped their guard and breathed a sigh of relief. The Major returned to his ship, and ordered his few men and woman to try and fix his ship. A few Marines even went up to the Aliens and glared at them. A jackal attempted to snap his jaws at a Marine, while a female Marine "accidentally" spilled her drink from a canteen onto it. It wasn't really a tense stand-of anymore, just a place where childish one-uppers tried to harass each other. The admiral ordered for everyone to return to their activities, but as a "with all due respect" action, he requested the Diplomacy Team to stay in the hangar. It was going to be wild in the Levine soon.

…

"Lance?" the small AI boy asked. Walker jumped up from his sleepy daze and looked around the Bridge for a moment. It had been an hour since the Diplomacy Team arrived. Most of the crew had left the Bridge, it was just Walker, a few crewmen and Wright. Everyone sighed in relief when the Levine reported that they weren't going to be attacked. The Prowler had uncloaked, and scared the utter shit out of a few Banshees that were flying about. It swiftly retreated to friendly space.

"Ugh. Yeah?" Walker tiredly replied. He had been up and about for a long time. Civilian Colonization effort reports were keeping him up, and he was trying to mask the massive fleet of ships in space from the Civies down below. No use scaring the crap out of them now, especially since they're refugees also. He shook his head side to side rapidly, trying to wake himself up. It worked a bit, but left him with a head-ache.

"Sir, reports from the Diplomacy Team say that the Arbiter is in charge of the Fleet over there. When we asked, we had an Engineer Coms manager tell us that a Prophet was in charge. We're trying to melt down this info, but as of right now we know that there is two leaders over there, but they don't seem to be fighting that much."

"They're making it work eh? What's the news on this Prophet?" Walker sternly asked, Prophets meant bad news.

"Don't know sir. We do know that the Arbiter is on his way to the Levine." Wright responded.

Walker ran to the Bridge's observation deck and examined the radar. There was a small ship moving towards one of his Frigates.

"Wright, order the Frigates to deny entry. Have him dock here! GOGOGOOGO!" Walker feverishly screamed.

"OKAYOKAY!" Wright yelled back, laughing. The Destroyer sped forwards, closing the gap between itself and the Phantom. The Phantom Gunboat seemed to be at a complete loss, and it retreated a bit. Walker himself got on communication and linked himself with the coms of the Phantom.

"Arbiter, this is fleet commander Lance walker of the UNSC Destroyer _Arctic Warmth_. I'm terribly sorry for the intrusion, but I insist you dock with us here. I don't think communication will work that well with you not being on the flagship. And I have some questions for you also." Walker quickly spoke.

The Phantom seemed to start moving in bursts now. Until it eventually just stopped altogether. It began to drift in space, unable to move. Walker quickly ordered a few Pelicans to carry it in, double time. It took half an hour for the Phantom to limp into a Hangar Bay, where Walker was waiting for it. No one was pointing weapons anymore, not it was just to watch and comment. Walker himself was caught off guard when a technician told him that he was relaxing on a fuselage. Finally the Pelicans dropped the Cargo and flew off to another Hangar Bay. The Phantom's doors opened up and out walked a whole group of Honor Guards and The Arbiter himself. Like a walking god, The Arbiter's path was laid out by bowing Honor-Guards. He approached Walker, and towered over the man. They too shook hands and greeted each other.

"Sorry for the slight change of plans! Uh, if you'd like to walk with me to the Bridge. It's a much better place than this." Walker said, as he gestured to the cluttered Hangar Bay. The Arbiter nodded and the two walked out of the room, accompanied by the platoon of Honor Guards, some brandishing Fuel Rod Cannons or Storm Rifle/Repeater weapons. The rest carrying large and fearsome spears. The Arbiter wondered how his Diplomacy team was doing at the Levine.

…

The Chief locked his boots to the ground of the Bridge, as the violent warp-hop left everything in shambles. Consoles were on the fritz, while unfortunate Sylphs had fallen over and fell atop each other. Cotton had stood perfectly still, hand on his blade- as the shock of the warp-hop crashed through the Bridge. He surprisingly wasn't even affected by it. A console even exploded from the massive power surge that returned to the other areas of the ship after it was all rerouted to the engines. Everything was running on Yluminite, and everything was affected by the unbalanced power surges rippling through the ship. The other vessels of the fleet drifted away and began to form a fleet again, instead of a cluster of Nareesi Warships all hugging the Flagship. John was extremely weary. He was struggling to hold himself up on the table he was leaning over. Cotton came over to him and helped him up.

"Still alive Alien?" he coolly asked. John stood up and patted himself a bit, just to get his bearings. He spun his head and cocked his visor at Cotton. Cotton's face was a bit solemn, but it remained defiant and strong.

"Chief?" Cortana harshly whispered.

"I'm here. Are you ok?" John replied, comforting her somewhat. She seemed to be whimpering in his suit.

"C-cortana?" he asked after awhile.

"I'M FINE! WHAT'S IT TO YOU?!" she screamed back. John could see her change color and change her stance as she scolded him. She then quickly reverted to her old form and looked incredibly guilty and sorry. She even put her hands to her mouth, and her eyes were wide.

"…What was that?" John asked. More like a playful question than a serious command. She took in a sharp breath, and then stammered out,

"I'm so sorry. I-I'm sorry. It's happening. I need to leave. I n-need to g-go." before she disappeared from his visor. John yelled out and questioned for her, circling around as if she wasn't still in his suit. Cotton held him still a bit. The Chief sighed, stepped back a bit, and then let exhaustion take over. He fell to the floor and then gingerly put his hands to his helmet. He removed it, and leaned back just as it popped off. He darkness of the corner he was near masked his face, so Cotton couldn't see it. The Chief looked into his helmet's visor, and he imagined Cortana's face looking back, before she turned away. He tussled his own recently grown hair, and then put the helmet back on back on. It was after that, that he completely fell unconscious and slumped. Cotton ordered his crew to take the Chief and haul him to a relaxation center.

"Yes my leader." they replied. And the group picked up the Chief by his arms and legs and carried him away. Through his sleepy haze, he would slightly wake up and see the bright white ceiling, and hear voices through his radio:

"It's vitals are ok, but it's brain wave activity is going crazy!"

"We need to stabilize it's thoughts, the exhaustion is getting to it."

"Hook it up to the avatar machine, maybe we can have it exist in the digital world as it's body heals."

"Agreed. How do we get this damn hard stuff off? It's like, stuck it it's body!"

"Use those E-Drills! Maybe we can place them in the locks of that hard stuff, and unscrew it!"

_Take off his armor? Put him in a Digital Environment? Stabilize his thoughts? What is going on? _John thought.

* * *

**There's this cool line thing that I JUST noticed. Saves me finger strength to tap space. I dedicate this chapter to what I think are the hottest female game characters, that don't even try too hard to be sexy:**

**Cortana**

**and**

**Sherry Birkin**


	20. Chapter 20: The Good Doctor and his Wife

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 20: The good Doctor and his Wife

Stalin awoke briskly. Like a phantom, he arose from his bed and prepared for the day. He had only gotten a few hours of sleep, but shut-eye was shut-eye, and it had alleviated some weariness from his form. Dressing himself, he skipped going to the Cafeteria for breakfast and walked right towards the Bridge. The Marathon Class Cruiser he commanded was floating above the high hills and plains of the shield world. It floated, remaining steady and stagnant- while various aircraft fluttered about from the ship to the ground. Finally, a slim Carrier Pelican flew down and dropped off a large group of troopers and some men or woman dressed in white coats. The group rapidly got off as Gun Pelicans flew about, dropping off large crates and equipment from their cargo bay.

"Jeez, I hope to God one of these fucking crates doesn't crush those geeks. We'd have to go back to Stalin's Wonderland." a Marine said, gesturing to the UNSC ship above. A Helipad had been set up on a flat hill, and a Gun Pelican landed down swiftly, opening it's rear hatch and unloading a group of soldiers. They double-timed over to a small barracks, almost getting splattered by a Hog that swerved around the crates and people in order to get t the Vehicle Depot. As you looked around, ignoring the bustling folk and the machinery, you would see this monolith of a metal base, fit for a Siege. It was currently locked down, put the Auto-Turrets and Communications arrays were all lively. Men would climb aboard the Base and walk over to the other side in order to check out the new shipments brought in from the small colony cargo Stalin's cruiser held. Constantly, Albatross's would swoop in, drop cargo and then flew like bats out of hell back to Stalin's ship. The massive base overlooked the landing area, relays buzzing as info was repeatedly transferred with Stalin's cruiser.

Back on the ship, Stalin had sat in his Captain's chair and he stared out onto the Forerunner Planet. To his left was massive Ice Peak, where the other cruiser had gone to. He had gotten the luckier land, snow and ice only slows you down- but the sun can rejuvenate and motivate when it's not abusing you. A far way off was the hole where his ships emerged from, the Destroyer was still stationed there.

"Attention all hands…this is your Captain speaking. Good work with the quick reflexes, I can see that all that time in space didn't make you rusty." Stalin spoke. Out of the corner of his keen ears he heard,

"Or maybe they were glad to be able to get the hell off this thing."

Ignoring it, he continued,

"Fireteams Octavia and Mobile, please fall in and report to Sergeant Major Kelsey. She'll take over you Spartans. Meanwhile, I want my hangars free of that clutter. Fighters will be 100 percent prepared to re-dock, and my troops aren't going to sit in a pelican for half an hour while you deck workers slightly move a crate full of crap. Argh, Hugh take care of these nuts." Stalin remarked as he turned away from the console. As he turned away and stood, from the console came the sapphire blue 1800's Mountain Man known as Hugh Glass. The bearded and fierce man had a long musket propped up against his shoulder to his neck, and he spit some digital saliva onto the non-existing floor.

"My pleasure sir." he drawled out. The Mountain Man disappeared from the console's screen, and his voice was heard throughout the ship.

"This is your AI speaking, Flight Decks are to cleaned and Octavia plus Mobile, please see Sergeant Major Kelsey." and off the man went, dishing out the "morning" orders. Stalin leaned back in his chair, ordered a crewmen to fetch the bridge some drinks- and he lazed back to enjoy the slow and peaceful process of setting up. It was only when the coffee had been served, and the peace returned- that Stalin bolted out of his chair and read the massive report one of his ace pilots filled out after a scouting run for Covie bogeys.

"My god…Hugh move the ship to these coordinates. Now!" he bellowed.

"What about the men down there sir?"

"Order Sergeant Major Kelsey to take Fireteam Octavia down there. Lock that place down, tell them we'll be back. Mobile stays here."

"Yessir." the Fur Trapper spoke.

…

"What? We're leaving?! Jeez, where the hell is this expedition taking us now?"

"Doctor. The good captain only wishes to explore the planet, which is our objective. We 'left' the colonials on the other side of this machine, and they didn't complain."

"Well excuse me for not informing the colonials, that they were living on a planet created by god-like beings from the past."

Doctor Fitzgerald spun around, grabbed his white coat from it's sloppy rack. Briskly putting it on, he grabbed the neat crate of information he had gathered in the span of a few days- and headed off to the now clean Hangar. In the enormous room, he felt like an ant. But it was his home, and you should never be afraid or unnerved by your own home. Even if demons dwell within it. And speaking of demons, Sergeant Major Kelsey had just out-fitted the all Spartan IV squad of Fireteam Octavia with advanced armor, fit for heavy assault. Decked out with ammo bandoliers, grenades, and various small gizmos that the sappers or breach teams normally used, the Spartans looked like Juggernauts. He calmly an quietly walked to the group, just as Kelsey finished delivering her speech.

"Alright Spartans, you're green and you and I both know that's already a big disadvantage. Reports show that a massive fleet of Covenant forces have arrived right where we were a few days ago, God Bless Captain Walker and his measly fleet if they haven't been obliterated yet. Octavia, you and I are being sent down to that fleck of metal in this vast sea of plains. Hopefully the Covies if they choose to come, will ignore us or not even notice us. Of they do- then we'll give them a fight that'll be sung about. Oorah!" the Spartan woman yelled. Octavia did the same, and they clambered off to the Gun Pelican patiently waiting for them. Doctor Fitzgerald snuck up on Kelsey, much to her shock.

"Woah there doc! Learn some manners why don't you?" she joked from behind her Spartan-Soldier helmet. The tiny slit of vision, an orange visor, stared right at him. The old guy smiled, and he thrust his intel crate right into her armored hands. Gauntlets rubbing against the titanium-alloy box.

"Jeez, I could kill someone with this doc. Whats the matter with the intel geek?" the woman asked. Fitzgerald looked around, like he was trying to find something- only to whip his head back to her, making her tilt her head a bit.

"That's very delicate stuff Sergeant Major. Don't let it fall into the wrong hands. And with the sudden change of plans Stalin's ordered, expect more of those boxes." he smiled warmly, but walked off just as quick as he'd come- back to the Lab where his companion from earlier was arguing with him.

Genetic Avatar Neuro-Manipulator. Or "Gan" (Jan), was a female modeled android with a mechanical brain crafted by Fitzgerald himself. The android was only partially built, hung up on the wall with various wires pumping into her. It was naked, you could say. Silver colored and chrome outer-shell covering up the 'organic' components inside. Her body was modeled after Fitzgeralds own wife, now dead. The android was frightening, with half an arm missing and some parts of her body opened up and exposed, wires and components and all. The worst part was her incomplete face. There was no face to speak of, just a light-pink skin-like cover that molded with the contours of the head's shape. She would spin her head a bit slowly whenever someone entered the labs, but she greeted them warmly despite her cold face.

"Hi there Doctor!" she quipped.

"Hello Gan."

"Good to see you honey!"

"Good to see you too sweetie."

She was called Neuro-Manipulator, because he had designed her brain from his wife. Her personality was a bit like hers, however she was independently evolving much to Fitzgerald's surprise. It wouldn't be long before she forgot who she was based off of, and went to live as a personality she created by herself. The thought unnerved Fitzgerald, but he knew this would happen one day or another- and he'd be there to support this new entity to the world. But for now…it was good to talk to his wife again.

Fitzgerald opened the steel shuttered observation windows in his lab, and light streamed in. His blue and dark lab sprang to life with colors as the liquids shined in different colors, while solid objects reflected light or glowed as bright as stars. He smiled. He called this, "Waking the Lab." Sitting in his chair, Fitzgerald smiled once against his Android- she blankly looked back. It would be horrific to someone who didn't know her friendly personality, and who she was based on. His comms system came to life.

"Doctor, this is Stalin. Brace yourself, we're going to go full speed to the coordinates given by the scouting team. Their report is…just brace yourself."

Fitzgerald ignored the report, too engrossed with the papers littering his desk. The massive burst of speed left him flying to the floor. The in atmosphere jump was shaking everything. Grabbing onto his bolted down desk, he waited until the jump was done. In a few minutes of wild flying, the Cruiser finally made it to the scorched valley where the scouting party had gone to.

"Oh God…what the hell happened here?"

He looked out and saw the enormous Colony ship floating above the rocky cliff's below. Magnificent bases had been erected on the rocky plateaus, and cliffs. Aircraft activity was near non-existent. The massive ship was snuggly nestled into it's roost. However one side was significantly damaged, as if it had crashed into something and that entire flank was torn off. Stalin ordered Hugh to go for an onboard Vessel History of the Colony Warship below. Hugh returned to answer a few moments later,

"The UNSC _Spirit of Fire_. Labeled, 'Lost with all hands' in 2531...that's about 25 years ago, sir!"

Stalin had heard the tales, that the Spirit had gone missing and was never heard from again- but he didn't know that it had roost here! In the exact same Shield World Stalin had spent months gathering intel on before NavCom ordered it to be researched.

"25 years, huh? Let's play the role of the good Bishop and make our visit."


	21. Chapter 21: Forever

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 21: Forever

The Chief was dreaming. He rarely slept, but when he did it was a rough sleep. Memories…that's all they were. The great times with Blue Team…the nightmares of the Flood, and the men and woman who assisted the Chief in his endgame only to die a cruel and quick death. Plasma is hot. And every dream ended the same way, a blue or red bolt would travel through the air and the Chief felt a burning and tingling feeling in his head. The burning would grow worse and worse, until the Chief was clenching his teeth as the indescribable mental pain dominated.

"Shoot some calming meds in it!"

"What if it rejects them?!"

"Do it!"

Relief.

The cold and chilling sensation traveled from his spine, up his back and neck to his searing head. The Chief relaxed while he dreamt. And the dark and gloomy atmosphere he was in turned to a bright green field of energy. The Chief formed then. He saw himself sprout from the ground in his armor- perfect to every little detail. Looking at his hands through his own eyes…in his dream- the Chief outstretched them towards the ground and felt it. It was warm, and a small humming went through his gloved hands and ended at his elbow. He pulled away and a small flash of bright yellow sparks would fly off. They were noiseless though, and the Chief felt that even if they did somehow touch his bare skin- they wouldn't harm him anyways. This place was fantastically peaceful. For a War Hero like John, this was Valhalla. Silence, quiet, and a relaxing monotonous humming beneath his boots. Clanking off in this field of green, the Chief saw the light-green ground and sky fill up. Grass sprouted beneath him, along with various flora and fawns he'd seen from his missions. The sky filled with white clouds, and the blue color began to maneuver in. A sliver of sunlight escaped through the clouds and dull blue sky- and that smidge of sunlight illuminated the entire area.

"Alright, use it's memories to make a good environment for it."

"Roger that…you know a lot of whats in that thing's head…reminds me of our own worlds."

The Chief ignored these faint voices. He walked and walked, with no destination in mind. Feeling caged, the Chief imagined the Spartan Armor Configuration machine…the one that encased him in this suit of godly power. It sprouted up, clean as a whistle- just like the last time he'd visited it. Halting in his stride, the Chief hesitated to just approach the machine. It seemed to be calling to him…urging him to go on.

"Woah?! What the-"

"There's something in the system! It's in the system!"

The voices continued to howl and cry out. The Chief was getting annoyed. He looked down to his hands again, seeing the sunlight glint off of his drab olive colored gauntlets. The voices then ceased to exist. The Chief spun around, ignoring the machine only to bump into someone a few feet shorter than himself. He looked down, and his visor caught the playful smirk the woman in blue was displaying. She then jabbed a finger at John, and the force pushed him backwards a few meters.

"Did you seriously just do that?! You've been in that thing for more than 4 years! Me on the other hand, am completely naked and always an apple-to-the-eye of the beholder when they look at me. Sierra-117, I order you to get out of that suit!" the woman commanded, her voice echoing around the world from non-existent objects. The Chief silently stood up, dwarfing the woman. He raised a hand, only to have it smacked away by the woman. His whole body was flung sideways from the slap, and he lost his balance. By instinct, the Chief spun around and used the momentum to grab the woman and bring her to the ground. She was on the ground underneath him, her face glowing with a serene calmness, giving off an aura of embarrassment. The blue woman snaked a hand up to the Chief's arm, and forced it off with a slight movement. She then moved her head upwards and slowly kissed the Chief's visor.

"Not so fast super-man. You're still in a tight cage." she quipped. The woman vanished from underneath him and appeared next to the Spartan. The machine was next to her, and she leaned against it, crossing her blue arms up to her bare breasts. Some force pulled the Chief towards her, and his body rose in the air. Small sparks flew from the ground, and the floor began to shift and morph. The Chief kicked his legs, but his head had been forced upwards. He began to choke somehow.

"Easy there big boy! Sorry!" the blue woman laughed. Her laugh sent chills down the Chief's tense spine. He stopped flailing, and his body lowered to the ground. The floor stopped freaking out and returned to soft flat grass.

"Cortana?" John asked. He towered over the woman, but she wasn't afraid. This was her world now, and John was her plaything. She ran up and grabbed his hand- then dragged him to the Machine.

"In." she commanded. John contemplated the decision, before he rushed into the machine and let the wires and mounts connect with him by some unknown force. Cortana vanished, and the Chief panicked a bit. He couldn't move though, and the clamps and wires had been screwed in with his Mjolnir armor. The clamps hissed, the wires reared, and the screws twisted with a metallic sound as the Mjolnir armor was wrenched free.

"Cortana, where'd you go?" The chief asked, just to break the silence that was unnerving him. Cortana appeared before the Chef, her face extremely close to his. She touched his chest with both hands, and the armor pieces fell off of the Chief and through Cortana. They landed on the ground with a THUNK! John's helmet was the last to go. As soon as it was raised off of his head, he looked up and Cortana leant in to passionately kiss him. The kiss was strange for him. He felt uncomfortable, but if Cortana was enjoying it, why couldn't he? Attempting to kiss back, the both of them held that lover's kiss for a long time, until Cortana pulled away and smiled wide. She then seemed to flicker a bit, and she looked down like a heavy burden had just been lifted from her.

"You have no idea, how long I've wanted to do that." she quickly whispered, The clamps were released and the Chief stumbled out. His skinsuit still felt like a cage to him though. A snug and familiar cage. Cortana put a finger to his right shoulder and slid it down. The skinsuit began to tear and easily rip apart. She put her face to his bare shoulder, and the Chief felt her. She was warm, and soft and extremely heart-melting to feel. He raised an arm and hugged her, she leaned in closer and pressed her body to his as his entire skinsuit's torso portion fell off in two pieces. Her finger went up and her hand touched his face. Moaning somehow, she began to whimper and sniffle. The Chief comforted her.

"What's wrong now?" John asked, his voice like a feather to her soft ears.

"*sniff* These are tears of joy John." she muffled into his shoulder. John leaned down and awkwardly placed a kiss on her exposed neck. She shivered and grabbed his neck with a strong left arm. Forcing him downwards with her superior strength, his face met hers again and they kissed. Her cleavage pushed up against his muscled body. Arms and hands caressing each other. Cortana seemed to scream in pain when John brushed his palm against her breasts. She lurched upwards and seemed to melt in his arms. Worried and confused, John crept in closer with his face. She looked up and some tears streaked down her cheeks.

"I love you so much John." she cried. He was surprised. He smiled and replied with,

"I love you Cortana. I always have and always will."

…

The chief thrust his member into Cortana, he grunted and then held the last syllable as the pleasure sweeped through him. Her cervix expanded, and her hips gave way to his pelvis's pounding. She loudly moaned, eyes upwards in joy and pleasure. John had his hands on her arms, her legs were spread out underneath him as he forced his dick into her. The hot folds stimulated his cock, and the constant friction was urging John to fuck her more. Cortana's legs bucked sideways as he shoved into her, his balls touching the ground and then meeting her body with a slapping sound. He was gently entering her but pulling out quick. Cortana's bare breasts flopped upwards and downwards. Her tits jiggling as John lovingly fucked her.

"OH my! John! ARGH! I LOVE YOU! Fuck me!" Cortana repeated. Over and over and over. She orgasmed with a violent shiver of the body, and the hot liquids running down her thighs and onto her butt were making John go faster. He wanted this to last, but the slick environment was hard to resist with every thrust. John's head would enter her lips and then be pulled backwards. The hot insides would snuggly hug his cock's head, while the intake and suction made the length of him be roughly caressed. John clenched his teeth and fucked his first pussy like a madman. His hips actually moved so hard that Cortana was being pushed backwards. She orgasmed again and then went limp, crying out curses and moans as John still fucked her. John went on his knees, grabbed a leg and bent it out. Her vagina was magnificent to stare at, as his thick dick pumped into her. The clitoris would rub up against John's forearm, where he held the leg. Cortana grasped the ground for support as John pushed into her. His balls churned and his stomach tightened a bit. Hugging Cortana, he cummed into her. Her arms and legs were at either side of him, and her breasts popped up to his chin. As he cummed he took one in his mouth and suckled on it. This, and John's spasming dick literally made Cortana cry. Tears streamed down her chest and onto John's. He hugged her harder as the last of his load spurted out of his large cock's head. Transparent and milky white juices oozed out of Cortana's vagina. She vanished, and then reappeared behind John.

"My turn super-man."

Flipping him on his back, Cortana messed with his digital anatomy and filled his balls with semen. John yelled slightly in agony. His dick sprouted back up like a blown balloon, and it's slippery surface was greeted by Cortana's vagina. Her gut was aching and cramping. When she sat on John, ass to his face- the pain fell away. Rearing downwards, her head shot up as the full length of John's dick slid into her again. John, meeting a familiar hole- took his longest finger and shoved it up into Cortana's rosebud. She seemed to collapse. John then bucked his hips and matched her slams, while also butt-fucking her with his middle finger. Halfway through the combo, he picked Cortana's blue ass up and moved it to his out-stretched legs.

"What are-?" she harshly whimpered, but then she yelled in pain as John shoved his slick and huge dick into her tight and dry anus. Her anal ring distended, and John could feel the tight hole crush his dick as he came in. However it brought pleasure to him. Ahhing, John pulled back and then pushed up again, going farther into her firm buttocks.

"ARH! Be gentle! Go gentle!" she cried. John listened, and lovingly began to slide in and out of her anus. Her cries of pain began to mix with pleasure now, as John's dick hit her anal g-spot. Occasionally, a cry of pain would leap out of her mouth, but the small moans and whimpers of joy urged John onwards. He began to pull her down onto his dick now, as he jumped his pelvis up and viciously slid into her. Cortana rubbed her clit as John did this, and the two simultaneously began to match each other's rhythm, until John finally exploded his humongous load into her ass. The hot semen erupted from his cock head's slit and the tidal wave flushed into Cortana. Her guts felt like hot water now, and she fell backwards onto John. He scrambled up, and was slowly pushing the last of his cum still in his dick out into her anus. They were vertically sitting now. He was fonding her breasts, as she used both hands to fuck her vagina and stimulate her clit. The pool of semen flowed down, and Cortana slid her ass on it. The Chief's thighs were glistening, and his cock was coated with each of their juices.

Then they slept. Together, under the bright blue sky.

…

"Fucking bugs in the systems! Good thing it shorted out. Who knows how long it could have blocked us out?" A Sylph said out loud. The other scientists had gone to their bunks. They left the alien inside the machine and hoped for the best. This Sylph had to get her Work Hours in, so babysitting the sleeping alien was an easy but boring way to complete her job. Taking a sip of steaming red liquid from a cup, she smacked her lips to the taste of the coffee equivalent. Turning around however, she stared with wide-eyes and The Chief's dick tore through his skinsuit's crotch slit. The proud member stood there like a sentry, occasionally twitching or moving. The female Sylph got up from her chair. She could call a supervisor…but then they'd think there was something wrong. And this easy job would be replaced with a hard one. However…it was very tempting to her.

Locking the doors and sliding forwards, the Sylph took off her skimpy lab-suit and placed her firm C-cup tits on the dick. Her cleavage parted as she slid downwards, and the Chief's dick rested in her warm breasts. She held that position for a while, before putting her lips to his head and slurping his cock head while titty-fucking him. Loud moans escaped her mouth as she sucked him off. Eventually a wave of cum erupted from his member and covered her face. Half an hour later, she returned from feeling guilty. Face clean, and shirt on- she crept to the Chief's dick. It was still hard. Hungrily, she tore off her clothing and rubbed her body along his armor. The hard edges excited her, and the firm nipples she had would run against his torso a bit too hard. Eventually she got on top of him, and placed her tight vagina on his member. With one final effort, she slid down onto him. The penis engorged her vagina, and the wet fluids rained down from her thighs as she orgasmed quickly. The humping began soon after. She would bounce up and down on his dick, lost for words as the lust took over. Finally she fell onto him and began to thrust herself onto his penis with her ass going backwards. Her face to his visor, she licked it and kissed the helmet he wore. Suddenly she felt him twitch a bit, and another wave came into her. Screaming as the liquid poured into her womb and onto her ass- she fell off of the table and sighed in happiness.

That's when she remembered the camera.

Rushing to put her clothes on, she ran out of the room to the abandoned halls of the Flagship. The Security Room for the Science and Med Wing was close by, so she jogged over there. she was still horny, and the wet thighs she had would slide against each other, as her legs strode forwards. Finally she arrived to the Security Room. It took a massive amount of courage, but she lightly knocked on the door. Standing at attention, she was met by a tall male Sylph. He seemed to be flushed from seeing her, and she walked into the room. Looking at the moniter, she saw the camera-feed of her sex escapades with the Alien. The male Sylph was jacking off to it when she knocked. She sat in the chair for a long time looking down. Ultimately the other Sylph unzipped his pants and walked over to her. She looked up and saw his warm but devilish smile. Opening her mouth slowly, she put his thick member into her warm mouth. He grabbed her head with his hands and then gagged her with his dick as he continued to thrust into her face. Fluids dribbled down her lips and cheeks, until his ejaculation was pooling up in her shirt. Her breasts were glistening and shining, and he pulled out of her mouth. She gasped and panted in relief. The male Sylph zipped up his pants, took the video of her sex with the Chief- and placed it into the incineration vent. The tape slid downwards and finally landed in the pile of trash to be burned. He gave her a thumbs op, and then went back to his seat. She thanked him and went back to the lab to punch out and get some rest, after cleaning herself up first.

…

**Yeah, so felt that I needed a lemon between the Chief and Cortana...the ending was just a filler. Expect another lemon up soon. Covie + Human Intercourse ftw. No grunts though...ya'll fugly. :)**


	22. Chapter 22: 'Ice to meet cha bro!

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 22: 'Ice to meet you too

"Welcome to the "ICE DEN" my man. Might want to zip that jacket up, it's going to be a bit nippy in here."

Richard followed the man through the hallway, taking notice of all the models in snow suits or posters of families have a swell time. He even saw one of a boy bundled up in a blue and yellow coat staring up in awe at a fish-tank in the shape of a block of ice. Some of the fish in there were looking back at the boy. The man in front of Richard had on a thick sweater, and some warm and baggy pants. His boots were clean and sturdy, and the beanie hat he wore on his grungy black hair complimented the dull color of his clothing. Smiling broadly, with bright white teeth, he gestured for Richard to go through the medium sized doors to the "ICE DEN."

"Be careful bro, it's slippery in there."

Richard heeded his warning and tentatively opened the doors. They slid on the slightly frozen ground below, and Richard took a blast of cold air right onto his face. His skin began to goosbump, and a strong shiver went through his body. He thanked the man at the door and walked inside. Apparently, Samuel knew a friend who knows a friend, and that man could help Richard narrow down his courier search for these package recipients. The ICE DEN was massive freezer converted to a Bar and Club. Below the "ice" were various colored lights that droned in and out with warm colors. Orange, red, yellow and gold lights looked up at Richard as he walked across the floor to the Bar. He looked to his left, and a closed door with a pumping rythm of bass and yells of cheer sounded through. The door was a framed block of ice with a solid handle. It had been chiseled to read PULL on the top. Richard chuckled as he ignored the various figures behind the clouded ice move and shake to the music.

"Can I help you sir?" a woman in a Bartender outfit asked. She had the outfit on, which was modified to contain heat, while a large silver-fur Russian hat was on her head. Her face seemed to be colored blue, Richard figured it for make-up. However her teeth chattered in the cold. Richard could smell the alcohol coming from the bar. Various occupants were seated on the stools formed from the ice. Metal seats on top of ice, with boiled leather to cover the top. He walked over to the bar and greeted the men there. They half-heartedly welcomed him.

"Hey, I'm looking for the owner of this place? Do you know where to-"

"VIP room, past the dance floor. That, or in here. And unless he's invisible, I don't think he's here."

Richard sighed, he had purposely wanted to avoid the dancefloor. He was a horrible dancer, and the only way to properly traverse such a room was to move with the music and use your own will to shimmy through when the song faltered. He thanked the woman and pulled the door to the Dance Floor open. A slightly warmer blast of air hit him, and he saw numerous people in coats or jackets breaking it down with an assortment of modern dance moves. The DJ was up on a high platform, watching over everything. Next to him was a door with a red neon light which read: _V.I.P._

"HEY! WANNA DANCE?!" a wild looking guy asked Richard. He was going to decline, but a girl in a white coat ran up to the man and planted a deep kiss on him. He acted as if it was a normal thing and then went on his way. Richard braced himself, and then frantically ran into the crowd. Clumsily bumping into people and smacking into dancers, he made it through the crowd. Out of breath from screaming apologies, Richard held his pack and went to the DJ.

"This is MC SourApple! Here's some BRA$$ for that ass ladies!"

A song came on featuring the new-age hip-hop and pop singer BRA$$. He usually rhymed about having sex or hanging with his friends. Richard started to unconsciously bang his head to the steady beat, when the loud and incoherent rapping starting- which completely woke him up and threw him off guard. He cringed at the horrible sounds of the man- and walked to the DJ.

"Excuse me?!" Richard asked. Frosty breath came out of his mouth. The DJ looked at him for a second, then looked back to his soundboard and tweaked a few dials or levers- and then quickly reverted his gaze back at Richard. The DJ was a black man in his late thirties, and was dressed like an urban Rastafarian. He had a long black beard, and some dark wide shades.

"Hey hey my man! Here for a request?!" he shouted over the music.

"SORTA!" Richard howled back. The DJ cringed a bit and backed his head a bit back.

"Chill out kid! HAHA! Whats up?!"

"I'm looking for the owner of this place, do you know where he is?!"

MC SourApple pointed to the door Richard came from.

"He left a while ago! Hey, can you fetch me a drink? I'm sorta thirsty being up here for most of the day. Everyday in the club is night!"

Richard stared at him in disbelief.

"When will he be back?!"

The DJ tilted his head and yelled,

"The drink boy! Go!"

Richard stormed off, rampaged through the dancing crowd and got back to the bar. The girl there looked at him with bored eyes.

"What will it be?" she flatly said, just as the door shut and the music droned out instantly.

"Anything non-alcoholic. The DJ wants it." Richard replied.

"Hot or cold?" she asked.

Richard took a moment to think, and then said answered with cold. The girl went back a few feet, spun around and rummaged through a cabinet on the wall behind her. Richard looked to the serving menu and read off:

_Alcoholic- Cold or Hot. Extra for hot._

_Non-alcoholic- Cold or Hot. Extra for Hot._

_~Includes Soda, Hot Chocolate, Juice, Milk, Tea_

The girl came back with some Tea. It was in a glass jar and had some ice-cubes in it. A small leaf was placed onto the top of the ice-cubes. Richard paid for the drink and went back to the dance floor. He took a route that didn't have that many dancers to it, and carried the Tea to the DJ. He took the cup, drank it down- and told Richard,

"Okay, boss is actually here. He says not to bother him with people, but you seem like good guy! For that, I give you this!"

MC SourApple gave Richard a card from a small pile underneath his soundboard. It was a VIP access card. Richard eagerly grabbed it and went to the VIP section. Some bouncers were there, but they let Richard pass without a second glance once he showed them his access card. Walking up the stairs carved from ice- which were covered with some metal and carpentry- Richard came to the large room where some men were drinking together. Surrounding them were comfy couches, fish tanks, tables, serving girls and guys. Armed men were standing by curtained doors. They had some small automatic guns with them. SMG's from the looks of it, except there were chrome colored and had swirly engravings on them.

"Boss, some kid's looking at ya." one of the armed men said. He was a large fellow, not as large as Ricky- but still strong. Wearing a white suit with blue and black swirls on the back- the man gestured to Richard. An old fellow, about 50, looked up at Richard with his dark rimmed glasses. He had a goatee, and was dressed in the same suit the armed an had on- except it looked more professional. The man stood up, and the conversation between his group stopped. All of the seated gentlemen were looking at Richard.

"Hello. I'm Richard, my friend Samuel told me you could help me with something." he asked a bit too confidently.

The standing man scoffed and pulled out a large handgun. He pointed it at Richard and asked,

"And how the hell do you know Sam?"

Richard then explained the tale of how Samuel had helped him with the Biker Brawl, took him in, and ultimately the good-bye where he landed his first UNSC letter to its recipient.

"Oh…I guess I am the guy you're looking for."

"Gre-"

"Well not exactly. See." he placed his handgun into the area below his back. "I know one guy who can feed you all the information you need in order to track these other fellas down. UNSC held records of them, y'know? Still do. In fact we still have guys joining up, and when they do that's when the eye beads in on them for the rest of their lives. My friend Jackie is one of those eyes, still is. Fact of the matter is, he's already taken by some nice guy called Don Quote."

Richard was gestured by one of the sitting men to also take a seat. He gladly did. The men around Samuel's friend began to grumble or mutter, and shift positions in their chair when the name "Don Quote" was uttered.

"Quote's this wise guy in charge of a crime family in the upper part of town. We as business men here in the Line, that's the uh…border if you will. The Line separates the North and South sides of this city. Currently, Quote's got a grip on the North and is sinking down into the west. If you haven't noticed, these fine fellows around me are guys from the west. The Den is also in the west, located on the far left side of the Line."

"So what's this mean?" Richard politely asked.

"I means that this motherfucker is going pull a monopoly and take our businesses away. We'll just be servants under this fuck. Jackie, he's in close with the Don and helps keep the DEN away from that motherfucker's filthy paws."

"So in order to reach Jackie, I'm going to have to talk to the Don?" Richard responded. The man laughed.

"No, you're going to have to spit shine Jackie's dick and then talk to the Don. We want out of Quote's grubby fingers. Jackie'll help sway him, those two go back a long time. It's actually one of the reasons old Samuel doesn't live in cities. The crime here runs deep. And the police have their helmets so far up their asses, that they disregard the Line and aim for the South- away from Quote. Trust me…there are some places in this city not fit for a kid like yourself to even visit- and the South is one of them. The Police up North...they're not morons either, they're as good as a ganglord when it comes to lethality. So yeah, I'll hook you up with Jackie- but if things go bad, the Line and it's owners will not hesitate to shun you. Stop Quote from touching the Line, and maybe I'll put in good word for you when Jackie is going to deliver his intel."

Richard, at a loss for words, shook his head eagerly. Samuel's friend walked over to Richard.

"Jon, give me a piece."

An armed guard from one of the curtains walked over to the man and handed him a chrome colored handgun with engravings running along the sides. The man swiftly took it and then handed it to Richard.

"Keep it. Quote is a nut job, and frankly I don't want one of Sam's friends to die under my watch. Think of the DEN as your new home while you're here."

Richard tucked the gun into his pack. He stood up and asked,

"Samuel never told me your name?"

The businessmen smiled as a new soldier of the Line joined their ranks. Samuel's friend smiled broadly and replied,

"I'm Roger Gold- leader of the Line. Lord Gold to you. My family runs deep in the Line. The other Lords of the Line's districts will gladly help you along the way. Welcome to the Line boy."

…

**THE DARKNESS, One Piece, and A Song of Ice and Fire references in this grungy city full of corruption?! Yeah, I went there. Richard's tales help shake the story up from the John/Cortana relationships. Aside from Richard, we also have these fine fellows to listen to as the story progresses. **

**Captain Walker**

**Admiral Stalin**

**The Arbiter**

**The Hive-King**

**And a multitude of side-characters. I am amused by this idea of a Crime-ridden Westeros parody which follows the customs of three worlds, THE DARKNESS Mafia, Frantic Treasure and Fame ownership with One Piece, and the Lordship and Kind disputes with A Song of Ice and fire. **

**Folk tell me that these Richard segments are strange and weird. Hey, I like this humanity, it provides a great side-story with this mission of delivering letters and meeting new characters as Richard grows with his task. The Sylpharian-Insectanoid storyline is getting overshadowed by this I believe. OFF TO SAVE THEM!**


	23. Chapter 23: Friendly faces

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 23: Friendly faces

The Pheonix-Class Colony Ship was almost a part of the ecosystem it rested in. Apparently, when Stalin sent out patrol teams to contact the bases stationed near the vessel, they all reported the same thing: Desolate.

"Hugh…think maybe you hail them?" Stalin asked. He was looking out the Bridge's observation window with a hand rested on his chin, and his arm was crossed over his chest. The sunlight from the Shield world streamed through the glass. It glinted and reflective light right into Stalin's face, however he disregarded it. The whole bridge had stopped what they were doing and crowded around the glass to catch a peak at the "lost" ship.

"I've tried sir…pockets of energy are running through the ship. I've scanned it, and most of the vessel has lost power. Looking closer, I saw how it's FTL drive was missing."

Stalin abruptly spun around and scared the crewman back to their stations. He grunted out,

"Stolen? Scavenged? Are foragers visiting planets only we and the Elites know about?"

Hugh thought for a moment, before he shrugged in surrender. He didn't know.

"Okay…get Fitzgerald in there. Have him try to figure what the hell is going on in the ship. The bases seem to be abandoned, but that doesn't mean hundreds of personnel just upped and disappeared. And if they did…well then we're going to have to figure out how."

…

Fitzgerald said his good-byes to his freaky half-android. She slowly rotated her head sideways, in a very horrific motion- and replied with a phrase of good-luck. Outside the lab, Fitzgerald was met with the Spartans from Fireteam Mobile. They welcomed the doctor and then escorted him to an awaiting Gunship Pelican. Boarding it with a giddy face, the Pelican flew off to dock inside the _Spirit of Fire_. Stalin saw it fly away and disappear inside the ship. His own cruiser was laying dormant over the jungle-canopy, near the canyons. The Spirit was docked in a small crater/valley made of both natural and unnatural geography. Suddenly, Stalin briskly walked away from the observation deck while screaming,

"Hugh! Set up an observation station! I want at least a hundred men down there clearing the area! We're camping folks, grab a beer!"

…

"Captain, wake up. Something has happened."

The same word washed through his mind, getting louder and louder, until it was unbearably loud. Cutter awoke with a chill, the frost still on his eyebrows and nose. The air stung his eyes and sinuses, and he began to cough. Waiting for the door to open by itself, he held his position in the pod, until he finally activated the manual unlock and stumbled out. Regaining his form, Cutter thawed his uniform out by patting himself down, and the warmth returned to his body. The Cryo-Bay he resided in was still chilly.

_Good, that means we still have power_.

"Serina? What's the situation?"

The smart-AI popped up on a small screen located on the wall of the Cryo-Bay. It was glossed over by a small bit of frost. Cutter wiped it away and stared at the screen with a "captains" face. Confident, prepared, and brave. Serina, the blue and slender AI woman that served on the Spirit, had her hands at her sides, and she smirked a bit.

"UNSC vessel detected near our position. I did a bit of parking while you were out, had to siphon energy to various location before letting it finally rest here. Else you'd all be dead, and the ship with no power."

Cutter's eyes widened, he quickly went to every pod and began to deactivate them. Crewmembers fell out in a sleepy daze, wearing mostly undergarments. One marine in an undershirt and shorts, rubbed his eyes and yawned loudly before seeing Captain Cutter give him an annoyed look. His whole form shifted to that of a ready soldier and he saluted the captain. Many other did the same after one yelled,

"Officer on deck!"

Cutter let them go and dress themselves from the lockers, while he slowly walked over to the Cryopod near the end of the bay. Fingering in the code the pod hissed and opened as a young woman fell out into Cutter's arms. He helped her stand and the backed off a bit. Ellen Anders looked at him puzzlingly, and then headed for her "lab" which was the Spirit's observation deck converted into a science laboratory. She quickly glanced at a pod labeled, "J. Forge" and seemed to falter in her resolve. She then recuperated and left the deck with the bustling marines and crewmen. Serina had also been waking up other Cargo-Bay inhabitants, and Cutter was now fast-walking to the nearest window. He looked through and saw a jungle on one side, and a canyon on the other. The Spirit seemed to be docked right in the middle.

"Serina, I see Firebases down there?"

"I had to manually fly each Pod and help construct the bases. They're more of an aesthetic addition. Helps make us look like we're not sleeping on the job."

Cutter started to run through a hallway to an elevator, marines and crewmen were going with him- all marveling at how they had landed on a planet. Cutter would sneak a peek at the planet through the windows when he passed, and he stopped at one, mouth open. His men and woman did the same, before they started cheering in joy. Stalin's cruiser was over there, flying out ships and supplies. The Spirit seemed to be returning to life as the Cryo-Bay lost power and the energy minimally returned to other aspects of the ship. Mainly lighting and mechanics. Cutter made it to the bridge and ordered someone to hail the ship.

"What about the skeleton crew Serina? What happened to them?

The AI appeared on her panel and indifferently said,

"I forced them to enter the Cryo-Bay. We were losing energy, and I didn't want them to die somewhere on the ship when the power went out."

Cutter read the levels of energy the Spirit had left, which was alarmingly low. He sighed, and then asked whether the hail worked.

"Comms are down sir, the Bridge's relays aren't syncing with the tele-communication relays outside. Unless someone goes over there and uses an incredibly long wire to hook the two up…we're silent."

Cutter sighed in anger, but Serina piped up,

"Maybe we won't have to talk to them sir. They seem to be coming to us."

Cutter then saw on the holographic radar a blinking yellow dot come closer and closer to the Spirit. He yelled in joy within himself, displaying a smile instead. The crew seemed to be eager, they believed that the Spirit would never make it home or reach anything without a SlipSpace engine.

"Although we won't be able to open hangar shield doors seeing how there's no energy over there. We also can't tell them where to smash their ship into…and they seem to be coming for the bridge." Serina flatly remarked. Cutter stood up and walked to the windows. The Pelican was flying straight towards the bridge, and at the last second it flew upwards. A loud CLUNK! Was heard as the Pelican landed right above the Bridge. The crew sighed in relief, but Cutter stayed standing and anticipated when the other humans would reach the Bridge. Serina seemed to be smiling despite her indifferent personality. Somebody run to the Lab and get Anders in here.

"Already here sir!" she panted. Her lab coat was off, and she was in her pants and orange shirt. She was red-faced from the run but mad with anxiousness. She then silently walked to Serina and asked,

"Serina…what year is it?"

The AI thought for a moment, and then replied:

"2526 or 2527...not sure. My memories not all that it sued to be anymore."

"I thought AI's deteriorated after 7 years…how're you-"

"I hogged up most of the ship's energy to encase myself within the ship's networks. Don't give me that look, without me awake we wouldn't have even made it here nor docked safely. You're welcome Captain, by the way."

Just then a huge piece of metal smashed through the ceiling and landed on the floor. Anders shrieked and Cutter cringed backwards. There was only darkness through the hole the metal was at before…but then a cable came down, and an armored Spartan dropped into the Bridge with a magnum pointed at the crew. More Spartans came down, and finally a man who looked to be a professor slid down the rope and shouted out,

"YOU'RE ALL ALIVE!"

…

The Pelican returned carrying Cutter and Anders, along with all of Mobile and Fitzgerald. It docked in the cruiser, and a welcoming party of saluting or cheering crewmembers greeted Cutter and Anders as they walked out of the Pelican. Anders whispered,

"I could get used to this."

Stalin briskly walked up to Cutter and grabbed his hand. Shaking it with fervor, he smiled,

"It's an absolute honor to meet you captain. I'm Admiral Stalin, commander of Colony Group A."

Cutter smirked and shook back. The two then let go of each other's hands and stood there. Cutter began to inspect the hangar and the ship itself. He then addressed Stalin,

"Looks like you keep this place in ship-shape, pardon the pun."

Stalin chuckled and responded,

"Heard about your inspections…so what's the story?"

Cutter explained about how on Harvest, Anders discovered the Covenant were hiding something- so he set out to Arcadia, assisted the civilian evacuation with John Forge. After they went inside a Shield World and managed to stop the Covenant from activating a massive fleet of Forerunner ships. They also discovered a parasite species and at the end they blew up the Shield World using their ShawFujikawa SlipSpace Engine with the loss of Sergeant Forge. Stalin was baffled.

"The Flood? There'll out there still?!"

Stalin explained how a Forerunner Ring was found and one Spartan managed to stop the Ring from activating itself and wiping out all the species on the Galaxy, with the help of his AI Cortana. They then stopped the Flood from spreading, but some years later a ship infected with Flood made it to earth where a Covenant fleet was attacking a city. The ship managed to infect an entire city, and the same Spartan stopped the Flood with the help of his Elite allies and The Arbiter's Separatists. That was the end of The Flood apparently. Cutter was flabbergasted.

"I think I'm going to need a history lesson of the past 20-odd years." he said. Stalin chuckled, and the party moved out of the Hangar.


	24. Chapter 24: The Plan

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 24: The Plan

The Chief woke up to find himself strapped to a machine in a small room. He was still on the Sylpharian flagship, however it wasn't a large Bridge or Citadel he was in, more or less a claustrophobic medical room filled with small monitors, strange shaped desks, and the machine he was in. He was lying on his back, with wires running his arms and into his neck. He shifted, but groaned when he felt the small needles in his spine. Raising an arm and having the wires fall off of him, he got up painfully. He realized he was still in his armor. A voice then pierced the dead silence,

"You're awake."

The Chief relaxed a bit as he recognized Cortana's voice. She popped up on his HUD. She seemed to be a bit embarrassed. The Chief got up and looked around the room. He steadied himself on a white desk and asked,

"How long have I been out? Where am I? What happened?"

Cortana seemed to huff a bit disappointedly. She replied with,

"So you don't…remember?"

The Chief eyed her blankly.

"Remember what?"

She seemed to slump into a glum mood.

"Nothing."

The Chief walked out of the room and into the bright hallway. He then started to clank down the hallway, when he made a left turn and ran into a Sylpharian. The male stumbled backwards and seemed to whistle in astonishment.

"You're awake?" it asked. The suit translated this and it came out with a New-Canadian accent of sorts. The Chief asked for Cotton, and the male led him to a circular staircase. One part was slanted fatly, for robots or wheeled objects to go down- while the rest was steps.

"Hell be right up there…uh…yeah." the male said. He didn't know how to address the Chief, usually the Sylphs would refer to him as "it" or "Alien." The Chief thanked the male and climbed the stairs. Cortana would say something about the architecture of the ship or the designs, saying how it reminded her almost of Aztec and Norse architecture. The Chief silently went upwards, usually passing a Sylph or two, who'd let him pass with a curious glance. A few soldiers even met him once and they said that they were a Security detail told to escort him to Cotton. However, The Chief had woken up earlier than expected. The part climbed the stairs and reached a bright hallway. They started to stride down when The Chief asked,

"Cortana…what happened up there on the bridge? After we were told about Ghrvey's death?"

Cortana seemed to be painfully taking a silent approach to the question, before she blurted out-

"Well…AI's deteriorate after 7 years of service. I've been here for longer than that…and frankly Chief I think that whatever energy that kept me alive for this time we've been here is disappearing now. I can feel myself get weaker and weaker…and since AI's literally think themselves to death…my personality is being taken over by my mind and it's random outbursts of thoughts and memories."

John stopped in his tracks. He looked down, and balled his gloved hands angrily. With desperation in his deep voice, he said,

"We'll get home, one way or another. We'll fix you. Something can be done. Halsey can do something!"

The Security Team seemed to be taken aback at The Chief's actions. They shrugged it off and patiently waited. The chief and Cortana were currently in a private radio channel. All the Sylph's heard was just English, something they didn't understand. They thought the Chief was talking to himself, but when Cortana appeared in his hand, and sat down like she was sad- they understood it was a conversation between them. They tried their best not to notice.

Cortana was incredibly depressed now. The rest of the walk gloomy, and The Chief's seemed to be at a quicker pace now- and it was obvious to note that he noticed his actions and tried to go against them with slower steps, which didn't work as he had hoped. The Security Detail opened the door to a Living Quarter and Cotton was there, standing in front of a mirror. He was using a dark colored powder to make symbols on the desk he was in front of- and The Chief heard some whispered words repeated over and over. Cotton stopped his prayers when The Chief got closer, and he spun around expectedly.

"A burial prayer…for Ghrvey." Cotton solemnly spoke. He then wiped the powder from his hands with a small blue cloth, and placed the clothe on the desk. He had his saber's hilt on a mount, and pulling it off it turned on. He then shut it off and sheathed it. Looking like a royal officer, Cotton gestured for the Chief to follow. After they walked and small-talked for some time, Cotton led the Chief into a Tactical Briefing Room. Skimpy Sylpharian personnel were lounging about in the chairs. They had black uniforms, and armor on assorted parts of their body. Cortana referred to the Sylpharian uniforms as a cross between "Steam-punk" and "Knightly garbs." It was pretty accurate though, as most of the sylph's sported crazy hair and goggles, while also standing at attention like sentries with their hands on the butts of their rifles. Cotton clapped his hands, and the troopers filed into the seats.

"Sylpharian Marines, I'm guessing." Cortana remarked. The Chief took notice and nodded a bit. Cotton gestured for him to have a seat, and he sat in the front row, in front of Cotton and the hologram tactical-screen that appeared next to him. Cotton put on a high-tech gauntlet, and began fingering in on buttons, or twisting and switching miniature dials and levers. The hologram shifted a few times before it showed a star map. A large green figure was the sylph Arian flagship, and the smaller green figures were it's fleet.

"Alright men and woman. We narrowly escaped a massacre at the hands of the blood-mantis's. We should be in the clear, but counting casualties- if they did appear before us, we're likely not going to survive. So we're going to be making a final stand at this planet here. It's called TARGRAYUN. Friendly planet, one of the few we actually own with a sufficient defense force. The rest are open to invasion, and since we're the only fleet in this precious sector of space- we're in charge here. And since we're in charge, I'm ordering for the rest of the fleet to go back and defend our colonies. The flagship will stay here, to defend TARGRAYUN. Questions so far?"

Many of the marines began mumbling and complaining. They stopped lounging and were at attention now. The blood was flowing quicker, and the muscles were twitching with anxiousness at what Cotton would say next.

"Alright. For the rest of our time, we'll be guarding TARGRAYUN. The massive Sky-Base of Plymouth will be our staging area for defense of the planet. Most of it is hills and long grass. Water sources are ample, and our colonists are constructing great things down there. Plymouth is near Aquafest. The city is mainly just an island on top of a massive sea. This will most likely be the target for invasion, unfortunately, since it's Yluminite supply is aplenty. The miners are being ordered to try and dig out the rest of the Yluminite, so we can hopefully have the planet evacuated, and not entirely destroyed by the blood-mantis's…*sigh* One day this war will end. It's not as bloody and hectic as it was 10 years ago. The Hive-King, shown here, is someone I have been personally fighting for a long time. He matches wit with wit, and strength with strength. He and I both know we're equals…so until I can best him, with the defense of TARGRAYUN hopefully- he'll understand defeat and maybe sway the others to end the war."

Many of the marines laughed at that, and Cotton did a weary chuckle, however The Chief saw that he meant what he said. He took the gauntlet off and was about to dismiss the marines, when a massive rumble shook through the room, and ultimately the ship itself. The radio boomed with emergency signs and warnings. Cotton got on an intercom, punched in the master code and began to voice his words everywhere through the ship.

"Situation, situation? High Captain, Religious Leader Quo'tunn!"

A voice responded over the PA system,

"Sir, blood-mantis craft! Port side! The fleet from before, lesser numbers!"

Cotton coursed and shut the Intercom. He screamed to the marines in the room,

"Alright, you're all officially religiously deputized to command troops in my place. Spread out through the ship, make sure it's not blown up! Get to the bridge and tell them that we need to reroute power to engines! We're running from this brawl! Off to TARGRAYUN!"

The marines took a moment to stomach what had just happened, but then one ran up and started to go for the Spiral Staircase, while another four accompanied each other to the Armories. Cotton ordered a large number to stay with him.

"No! Alien, we're putting you somewhere safe. Come with me, we're heading to the storage compartments. Nobody ever checks there."

Cotton called the marines and they all began to head down the Spiral Staircase to the Storage areas. Next to them were the spare ship parts, and next to that was the massive hole left from the Dawn- which was still lodged inside of the flagship. The party would stumble and fall when a volley of blasts rocked the shields, but other than that- it was a walk in the park. Cotton pulled out his saber and handed The Chief a handgun. He also pony'ed up three magazines.

"Breach! Breach! Shield EMP detected, Infiltrators breaching!" the voice on the PA system screamed. Small holes in the flagship's shields were opening up due to an EMP device the Insectanoids were using to get their boarding craft in. A hole erupted to the left of the party, a long ways up front. The air began to be sucked out, and some unfortunate marines who were running near there were sucked out with a shrill scream. The hole was then closed as a craft smashed into it, and the jelly used to seal the hole was fired out as an adhesive sealant. The Infiltrators then stormed out, cloaking themselves. However the Sylphs fired first, and along with Master Chief they managed to take out the entire squad. The boarding craft was still attached to the hull of the ship, and a grenade was tossed in. A large explosion blew the craft away, and since the jelly expanded with the blast- it covered up the hole before more Sylphs could be sucked out.

"We need to move! Alien, you seem to be good at escaping, please find a way out of these halls! Infiltrators are swarming them! We'll stay here!"

The Chief coincidently found a panel a few feet up, and he punched it open. Peeking through, he then used his hands to rip a crude tear of the hallway's walls, making a doorway. The Sylphs swept in and began to traverse the insides of the walls, with Cotton's captain's map to guide them. The Chief stood by the hole, and when some Infiltrators saw it, he jumped out and fired on them. They dropped to the floor, but the shots attracted more. Suddenly, shots rang out inside of the walls, and the Chief worriedly jumped through after taking care of the other Infiltrators. He reloaded his gun, and turned on his flashlight.

"Be careful Chief…this place is CREEPS. THE GUY GIVES ME THE CREEPS! I MEAN WHAT KIND OF GUY JUST GOES UP TO YOU AND ASKS-" Cortana screamed, as she went rampant for a moment. John cringed a bit, but went forwards.

"…I'm sorry." Cortana whimpered. John lovingly shushed her…she seemed to calm down after that.

The Chief walked through the dark maintenance halls and ventilation shafts, blood and spent rounds all over the floor. When The Chief caught sight of an Insectanoid with his torso chopped in half, Cortana examined that Cotton's saber must have done that. The Chief picked up the pace, and began to stumble upon more bodies. Now it was mostly Sylphs, with Insectanoid footprints in the blood. John heard a shot, and ran through the darkness only to smack into an Infiltrator. It was about to fire a bullet into a Sylph's throat that it was holding up by the throat, when John came to the rescue. The female stood up, and thanked John. She then handed him a powerful shotgun, since she was unable to use it because of her wounded arms. The Chief gladly took it, and told her to stay behind him. Going through the passages, he'd fire right into a hidden Infiltrator, and they'd lay dead on the floor- uncloaked and twitching. Finally, the Chief ran out of ammo, and he finally made it to Cotton's location. A one-on-one brawl between Cotton and an Infiltrator General was occurring, the latter winning. Cotton then dodged a punch and rolled through the thing's legs, before using his saber to stab the thing upwards. It grasped for something to grab onto to, but it then slumped over and fell with a heavy thud. Cotton helped the female Sylph with one arm.

"I lost all of my men. Don't worry though, according to the map we're almost there." he grunted.

After a few limps and strides, The chief punched through a panel and led Cotton and the wounded Sylph through. Unfortunately, she had bled out before medical aid could be given. Cotton whispered a prayer and shut her eyes. He then sheathed his saber and walked over to a door hidden behind some large crates. With the help of The Chief, he pushed them off and they walked in. Cotton showed John how this room over-looked the large area which served as a conduit between the front of the ship and the back. Cotton leaned against the window, and grabbed a spare sniper rifle from a few boxes. There was a radio also, and with these high and hidden location- Cotton and the Chief both took up over-watch. Cotton got on the radio, and positive reports came up. With the help of the large numbers Cotton's fleet had over the new one that showed up- they managed to make a quick escape to TARGRAYUN. Cotton was advised to stay in his spot for awhile though, until they reached Plymouth.


	25. Chapter 25: Wreck Ops: The Line

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 25: Wreck Ops- The Line

The suave black sedan was snaking its way past the drowsy traffic, and quickly swerving at narrow collisions. Richard was holding onto his seatbelt in the backseat, while the men up front did the bets they could not to look at where they were driving. One even pardoned himself as he bent down and looked for a stick of gum that had fallen on the ground- going well past the five second rule. He then found the gum stick, crumpled it up and threw it in a small trash bin in the center of the car. The inside was extremely stylish, sporting a black dashboard with gauges and dials- either for speed control or music and video. The cars of the future were designed to either go fast and get to places even faster, or go slow and do the dirty work of the streets. The driver of the car almost smashed into a green Oliphant, before jumping off a small ramp and getting airtime. Richard screamed in immense fear, but the cushioning system of the car let it gracefully smack into the flat ground and continue on it's way. The streets of this future city, and many others- were like racetracks now. Even the highways were dreadfully protected on either guardrail or median, seeing how vast destruction could occur if a driver lost his rhythm and decided to total his car with a plethora of others.

"Over there's the big wreck of '51. Jeez, I remember that my buddy Thomas was shot in the construction site…fuck that Don, man. He's a nut job prick." the driver had spoken, the words accompanied with a very touched up New York accent. His partner, a Latino heritage male with the body of a bull- laughed and then slicked his hair back. They were both wearing casual clothing, unlike the suited thugs The Line's businessmen usually used. Richard was wearing a new dark blue pair of pants with a black t-shirt, the captions of the t-shirt read: DK's Deliveries. Antonio and Sarif had been Liners before, but they were veterans now who still worked with Lord Gold. Richard was told to address them as Ser Antonio and Ser Sarif, they were pretty much transport for Richard to his handler. The car finally went off the race-track streets and moved into some alleys and throughways. It was relatively desolate with the time of night they were in. The car stopped on a dime as it rounded into a hidden garage. The door's shut and all was pitch black. After a few moments Antonio screamed "BOO!" and scared the crap out of Richard. Laughing, the man got out and flicked the lights of the garage on with a familiar gait. He swaggered over to a door and knocked five times on it, in a rhythm. The door then opened to a man with a flamethrower, and he let them pass. The shark usually painted on the mouth of the flamethrower was now a snarling jade dragon. The man himself was wearing an undershirt and some baddy pants, tattoos covered his arms and torso- giving him the look of Neo-Yakuza. Richard was led in by Sarif, and they were met by a man surrounded by two others. They looked bored with the fantastic car they had in front of them. It was a large civilian-model golden warthog with some an entire chassis upgrade. The once open and exposed vehicle was now covered up with a hood and windows. Instead of a turret on the back, there was a diagonal cover coming from the handles above the seats to the bumper. The rims spun and the car itself was incredibly slick.

"Lord Jared. A pleasure." Sarif said. The man with a yellow and white suit flashed a white smile at Sarif and then grabbed Richard's hand.

"Welcome to the Line boy! I'm usually what they send the greenhorns to in order to be properly initiated. Come with me and my associates." Jared spoke with a husky voice, his lungs sounded like two pieces of metal sliding against each other.

"Pardon my tone kid, I took a bullet in the lung, ripped through it and then left me with a deflated balloon. Good thing we have fucking bio-foam. Does fuck all to heal ya, but it covers up the wound pretty good."

Richard said his farewells to Antonio and Sarif, and he then ducked inside the warthog as the Ferrari style doors shut, moving from the top to the bottom. The inside was dark, but lit by some green lights. The same military dashboard was there, except it looked stylish with the fancy curves the additions to the dashboard added. The other two men hopped in,

"Sup kid."

"Hey brochacho."

Richard waved, and Jared then quickly backed the hog up that Richard's hand smacked his face.

"HAHAHA! Sorry kid, old habits and such. Alright, your mission is to help out a good friend of mine. He'll be wearing a purple suit or something like that, dumbass looks like a grape. Anyhoo, I'll drop ya off so you can assist him with his problem. Don't want to get too close."

"Why?" Richard asked. Jared laughed out,

"Why? Hahacausehaa…haha. Why? Hahaha, fucking, bwahhaha!"

The rest of the ride was pretty quick, the hog sped through the streets and arrived near an abandoned building. It reached up to the sky. The door's opened and Jared kicked Richard out.

"Good luck kid! I recommend you get your piece out! Recruits like you are good fodder in these types of disputes, but take a few of them down also. And if you don't show- well then we'll just to have yous for the betrayal."

Richard heard faint popping sounds from around the building. The hog sped away, and Richard went towards the sounds. They got louder, and Richard thought some fireworks were being shot off rapidly. It was only when he finally turned the corner that he saw the dead man lying only a few feet away from him. The man had an SMG at his arms, and some yells were heard. He snatched it and ran towards a car with all it's doors open. BRA$$ was heard playing loudly, and Richard peeked a look at the sounds.

"Where the fuck is that support?! I'm going to gut Jared when I see him!" a voice screamed. Richard looked towards it, and saw a man with a purple suit running across a lot firing a pistol in each hand. Bullets whizzed by him, but he stayed on his warpath, and then smacked a pistol right onto a shadowed figure's face. He then unsheathed a large knife and stabbed the crumpled man on the ground. As the suited man was spinning around, another figure was almost at him, a large knife in hand. If Richard didn't do this, he'd be killed by The Line for his betrayal. If he left the city, he'd never get the information to find the other people- and the UNSC would punish him for not living p to his expectations.

_Go for it girl! You-you know you WAN' TO! Go for it girl!_

Richard raised the SMG and emptied the clip into the figure. It fell to the ground as the bullets ripped through it. The man in the purple suit spun around and saw Richard standing on the roof of the car firing the SMG at the figures firing at the man. He then wildly screamed,

"KING KONG AIN'T GOT NUTTIN' ON ME!"

The SMG had gone empty a while ago, but Richard still went through the frantic motion of rapidly clicking the trigger and spraying the thing from left to right again and again. The man got closer to Richard, and he dropped the SMG to the floor, pulling out his fancy handgun.

"Who the hell are you?" the man asked.

"Jared told me to help you. What's going on?!"

A car, which looked like a souped up street racer, then crashed into the purple-suited man. He flew across the lot and smacked into a basketball hoop with a sickening CRUNCH! The car itself had emptied of it's inhabitants, and Richard ducked behind his own cover.

_Ugh! Like that girl! Yeah-yeah, like that girl!_

Richard jumped up from his cover and fired his gun at the figures. They carried automatic weapons, and the wild bullets flew at Richard. Most hit the car, but some narrowly missed Richard. He fired until his gun went click, and the figures were gone. The cars started retreating, but a Molotov cocktail smashed into one and lit it aflame. It exploded, causing others around it to explode. The man in the purple suit walked to Richard and forced him to duck as shrapnel flew at them. The man seemed to be untouched from the previous trauma on his body. He got up and dusted himself off, just as some other men came up to meet him. One was tall and black, with a tattoo of a snake going across his face, ending at his scalp. Another was a medium height Caucasian bald man, with the body of an MMA fighter. The two of them were wearing matching green suits with white swirls.

"Rantho! You okay brotha'?" one asked.

"Who's this kid?" the other also asked.

Richard was roughly patted on the back before the man in the all-purple suit answered with,

"Jare's support. Heard this kid was recruited by Lord Gold himself. Took down a whole shitload of Quote's men down. He's cool."

The other men shook his hands and smiled. smirked back with his deep light-blue eyes.

"I like you kid, you seem to have something in ya. I don't know what, but I like it…no homo of course." the purple-suited man said. Richard laughed and then asked,

"So…who are you guys? What was the fight for?"

"The fight was for this." the black man said, as he gestured to the building. "This is the Line's Tower of Beck the Bold! He's the one who had the balls to tell the king of the North to fuck off, and he helped shape the Line. This is where he died, and the building's been since abandoned. We that Quote was sending some guys down here to claim it- and since it's on the Line- we couldn't let that happen. Lord Gold, the man now in charge of the Line, sent us in to stop them. We're the Purple Goals."

"Yeeah, best of the best man!" the bald man smiled.

"We can't have gun fights out in the open daylight, it's going against the code the old Kings of the City laid out…those were better times. I wasn't born then, I heard they just used shotguns and clubs back then- fucking psychopaths."

The all purple-suited man spoke up.

"The Purple Goals are like the Special Operations group for Gold. He's got his Black Lions, except they all guard the ICE DEN. His castle. Me…I'm Rantho Vercetti. These two call me Ran or Rantho- you! You call me Lord Vercetti. And I hereby declare that your initiation is fully complete. Thanks for the help, and welcome to the Purple Goals."

Vercetti walked off and hopped inside a car that wasn't a mangled and flaming wreck.

"I'm Tyson." the black man spoke as he walked off to Vercetti. The bald man gave Richard a good hard look, then nodded his head in approval.

"Call me Ser Sapphire." he spoke as he also walked off. Vercetti let down a window and screamed,

"You going to get in or what kid?!"

Richard ran off to join his new team, the car drove off just as the midnight Police began storming in with their SWAT units. Richard looked back and saw a Pelican shine it's spotlights on the battlefield, while Riot Elephants dropped their doors and SWAT officers charged out.

"Yep. Enjoy the city while you're still in it kid. We're going to be needing all the help we can get to stop Quote." Vercetti solemnly spoke. Tyson spun around and spoke, the gap between his front teeth disappearing every syllable, then reappearing.

"I heard Gold's trying to get folks from the South to help the Line. Quote's a wild fucker, an every Brother of the Line is going to be in for a hell of an assault when they finally breach our last frontier- Beck's Rock.

"Fucking. Gettysberg." Sapphire remarked. Vercetti laughed as he drove on. That was a story for a different time though Richard thought.


	26. Chapter 26: It's a lemon, Happy Holidays

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 26: Negotiations

"**Brace yourselves….Long Lemon Is Coming." ~Ned Stark parody**

…

"They eat like slobs."

"What the hell do you expect? They have no lips!

"Nah, I think they do…well sort of."

The two crewmen were just guarding some boxes near the back of the hangar. There was a tube where the Pelicans and Longswords could launch from, but other than that it was just cleaning equipment or armaments that needed to be watched with a valiant eye. One of the crewmen was a lady, about 32 years old. She had dark-brown hair and a cream colored brown eye, average build. Her skin was a bit tan, but other than that she was Caucasian. She wasn't wearing much of make-up or lipstick, but she was still very pretty to look at. Standing at about 5'10'' she was dwarfed by her friend. He was 6' exact and also had an average build. The man was extremely pale, with black hair and a slight five-hour shade. His eyes were strangely orange in color, and many remarked that his eyes complimented his bland dark-orange crew suit. The two were always seen talking and hanging out while on break. A lot of folks even said that they were perfect for each other. But that was the thing…they were perfect for each _other_. They enjoyed the same things and never had anything interesting or truly extraordinary to tell. The click between them was so great, that it was bad. Eventually the two just became friends, much to the relief of both of them. They cared for each other a great deal, and never leaved each other's side. Unfortunately, opposites attract and these two ere so similar it was as a cruel joke from God was made when he paired the two.

"Nathan, that one over there always looks at you." the woman said, a small bit of distress in her voice.

Nathan smirked, and he swept his orange eyes to the Elite sitting on the left bay of the dead Spirit. His eyes met the Elite's and it seemed to sink away. Nathan laughed and turned to the woman.

"Its like it's afraid of me, yet the fucking alligator can kill me in a few seconds Cassidy."

"Beware! Nathan the Great and his mighty wrench of destruction!" Cassidy joked. Nathan spun around and checked his watch. He had gloves on, which helped bond him to the heavy creates, somehow making them easier to lift. Cassidy herself wasn't much for brawn, but she could lift 10 rockets and then some, plus carry them to the vehicle they'd be armed to. She cracked her knuckles, and put her palms on a medium-sized UNSC crate full of gear. Raising it up, she tottered with the thing to a forklift, where it was placed down. Nathan did the same to a larger crate, except he almost fell and crushed himself. Cassidy came in to help at the last second. They decided to take another break, no one truly gave a shit what the Hangar crew was doing. There were there to stack things, or carry things. The Engineers fixed things, while the Stockers…well stocked things. Cassidy and Nathan were part of Hangar Crew 7-7, with plenty of years of service behind them. They'd been transferred from some other ships only to land in this maniacal frigate with it's jack-in-the-box captain. Jakoby was everyone's favorite though, the crazy fucker. Cassidy spun around and screamed in fear, when a Jackal- standing as high as it could at 6'2'' looked down on her. Nathan ran forward and eyed the thing. The Jackal was wearing it's combat-harness, but it's shoes were gone. The talon'd feet were walking barefoot across the Hangar, where the Diplomacy team was graciously ordered to stay. It spun it's massive head over to the Elite Major, still clad in armor and standing with arms crossed observing everyone. The Major swayed his head from side to side, and the Jackal snapped at him. It then stepped back, and turned away to walk back. It turned it's head to the right and looked back at Cassidy with a wide and orange eye. Nathan was sighing in relief, until he spun around and loudly asked,

"Now what the hell was that all about?!"

A Marine stationed to guard the Hangar heard the commotion, and she walked over. She was young, 21 and wild. Confidently striding over to Nathan she blew some stray strands of her golden hair out of her face. She tightly gripped her shotgun and asked loudly,

"What's the problem here?"

Nathan turned around and she melted in her boots. He was handsome, and the confidence left her. It got hot in the Hangar, so Jakoby allowed Marines to take off a minimal articles of clothing. The Marine had chosen to slice off her naval region of her t-shirt, exposing her bare abdominal muscles. She also took off her shin guards and shoulder pads, they were annoying to keep steady on her small shoulders and calves. Spartans were lucky, their armor just snapped on with their suit.

"Yeah, a friggin' Jackal just came and scared the crap out of my friend!"

The Marine took a second to understand, then she blurted out,

"Friend? Not girlfriend?"

Nathan gave her a look of disbelief. He pointed to the cluster of the aliens by the Spirit, and asked,

"What about the fucking Jackal?!"

Apologizing for her mistake, the spunky Marine marched right up to the Elite Major Mari'juan. Nathan and Cassidy both stared in shock, and tried to stop her. Fearlessly, she tapped the massive Saurian on the back with the barrel of her shotgun. It spun around and stared at her. Then in a surprisingly calm voice, and rough English he spoke,

"Yes? How can I help you?"

The Marine took a moment to stomach this, before she snarled out,

"One of your soldiers just compromised MY crew."

Nathan shouted,

"Who the hell put you in charge?!"

She blushed, but then craned her neck up to glare at the giant in crimson armor. Mari'juan angrily snapped his gaze to the Jackal, who seemed to be lounging in an empty covenant supply crate, still eyeing at Cassidy. It growled,

"One of my men were being reckless. He defied orders, and I will punish him accordingly. I am sorry for the problem , it won't happen again."

Various pauses and stutters were made as the Elite tried to think and translate what he was trying to say. The Marine barely understood it, but she nodded her head and walked off yelling proudly,

"That's right! You won't mess with MY crew again not while I'M here! Private Samantha Barnaby!"

Samantha foolishly cocked her shotgun and fired a round into the ceiling. Almost everyone in the large Hangar ducked and prepared themselves to run or fight. She realized her mistake, and with a red-face went back to her post. She smiled at Nathan and blew a kiss at him, but he raised an eyebrow in confusion and spun around. Cassidy was having a staring contest with the Jackal who had approached her.

"Hey…Iron Eye…HEY!"

Cassidy woke up from her daze. She had been examining the Jackal, taking in every muscle and sinew it flexed when it moved. It's large head and massive jaws would open so a dark red tongue would come out and slide against it's teeth. She wondered how it'd be like to have that tongue inside of her when Nathan snapped his fingers and she jumped.

"Sorry! I think the Jackal wants to eat me." she whispered. Nathan turned to aim his orange eyes at the Jackal, but the same blue Elite Minor from before was talking to it. The two spoke for a moment before the Jackal's eye went to Nathan. The man backed up a bit in fear, but the Elite spun around and it stared at Nathan. It's mandibles were closed shut, and only it's strange eyes seemed to matter. The Elite raised a cautious arm and waved at him, he waved back in guilt- and it stiffened up and walked away. Nathan then took the time to shamefully take a peek of it's ass- and my god it was amazingly firm and round. The hips swayed a bit, strange for an Elite- and Nathan also saw how it's legs were more slender and shapely. The combat harness seemed to allow more mobility around the waist area of the Elite, and it's chest armor was strangely larger. He spun around and took his gloves off. He set them down near a small toolbox, and then hopped up on some unearthly boxes only a machine could lift. Cassidy joined him. She laid back, squishing the ponytail of gorgeous hair beneath her head. Looking up to the lights, you could see how her crème colored eyes radiated, and she blew out some air from her mouth in relief. Nathan had always kept his hardhat on his head, but he flung it off and rested on his palms. Cassidy was kicking the crate when a large THUMP! Was heard. She slowly spun her head to the left, unaware of the Jackal- and then shrieked. It was on it's bare feet, it's head looking down at her. Frightened, she covered her face. Nathan was frozen with shock...he was also failing to grab something from the tool box. The Jackal looked around, and then plopped down beside Cassidy, "roosting" there. Nathan calmly stopped trying to grab a screwdriver he could use as a shank, and he then learned to just accept the Jackal's presence. Cassidy also released some tension and she got up. The trio then just sat on the large box and observed the Hangar. Marines loading magazines with bullets, or using the Workbench to modify stuff. The aliens were just trying to fix their ship, while also relaxing in the Hangar. It was only when Samantha fired another round into the air, did the Jackal scurry off- long and strong legs hopping off of crates and packages to land beside the Elite Major. Who then smacked the thing's large head with a large hand. It wasn't serious, it was almost like a "Stop that!" notion you used on children. Mari'juan turned his gaze upon Samantha and she ran towards Cassidy.

"What happened? How are you? Did it try anything shifty? Are you hurt, dude?"

She was physically comforting Cassidy but aiming her questions to Nathan. He shrugged and simply said,

"It was chilling with us. I think it likes Cassy."

Cassidy then angrily retorted,

"And that Elite with the hips and toned ass likes you! I saw that awfully long glance Nate!"

Nathan closed his lips tightly, then jumped down and put his hardhat back on. Cassidy did the same.

"Wait…so does he like the She-Alligator back?!" Samantha pleaded. Nathan shot her a nasty look and then seemed to blush. Cassidy smiled. Samantha stormed off to the Elite Major. This time a Marine managed to grab the shotgun away from her as she was about to blow the thing's head off. The Marine then took the Shotgun and tossed it with some other weapons. It blasted a round into the wall and for the third time everyone cringed. Nathan high-fived the same Marine but then got to work putting his gloves on and hauling stuff. Samantha had reached the Elite and she jabbed a finger at the Elite.

"HEY! BUDDY. I thought you said the Jackal issue was resolved! I have MY crew getting jeepers-creepers when that thing jumps on them!"

Mari'juan grabbed her hand with a strong fist. Samantha whimpered a bit, her blue eyes looking up at him with such a cute face. His eyes widened and he seemed to take a deep breath of her hand. He then let it go and stumbled a bit. Samantha backed off but continued on,

"Whats the deal bub?! You should just put a leash on that thing and-"

Mari'juan grabbed her arm and then brought her close to him. He smelled like sweat and it mixed with his musky odor of Sangheili. The other Marines at least smelled like sweat and cologne!

"Please, pardon my behavior. This is the first time I've ever encountered someone like _you_, without them trying to kill me. I never realized you female were so…_beautiful_." he said with husky growl. Samantha cringed in disgust.

"Sorry buddy, but I'm not into. Guys! Like! YOU!" and she pulled away from him rubbing her arm. She blew some hair away from her face, and back-tracked to her position as the lone guard of the Hangar. Mari'juan fluttered his eyelids as she spun and showed him a nice ass clad in uniform.

"I will have you…" he darkly whispered in Sangheili An Engineer gave him a quizzing look, before departing to go into the Spirit and try to fix things.

…

"Excuse me! Hey! BLUE LADY!" Nathan screamed. The Hangar was fairly empty now of crew or soldiers. Samantha still guarded the door, and was eyed up by the various men, or women, who passed her. She didn't notice though, with her naiveté and thoughts on Nathan. The hunky heavy-lifter with heart-catching orange eyes. Cassidy seemed to be a small problem, however they acted more like brother and sister than a couple. Nathan would be caught kissing her lightly on the cheek or neck. The aliens were pretty much dozing now. Originally the crew was to be composed of Grunts, Jackals, and en Elite. But the orders were messed up and the most insane motherfucker were put together as a "Diplomacy Team." Mari'juan was the only sane and worthy guy there, the rest was a female Elite (God only knows his facepalm when she eagerly got in the Spirit), a Jackal who never spoke, and some Engineers (more like floating piles of blue tentacles and utter geekiness). The crimson armored Elite finally took his armor off, after a long while of standing up and glaring at people. The harness fell off and revealed his bare chest. The suits normal elites wear felt uncomfortable to him, so he didn't wear one. However the scars on his exposed arms showed where his negligence came back to bite him in the ass. Fortunately, he didn't take off his codpiece, but he did remove his thigh armor and hoof guards. Stretching and walking around as the Hangar lights dimmed to signal the "night" of the Levine's timer, he strolled about the Hangar Bay. His skin was scaly and pale, but in the dark it looked leathery, and while his mandibles were almost always displayed to bare his teeth, he was resting his mouth by firmly shutting them. He jumped up on a crate and then sat in the shadows, watching the few humans remaining walk around. It was getting cooler now, and yet they were lounging about with shirts off or uniforms unzipped. He then spotted Samantha near the door, sitting on the ground looking miserable. Sweat was running across her strong body, and it was so good looking to Mari'juan. He silently moved across the shadows, just watching her as the cool air touched his bare chest and legs, making him feel like a predator in the night.

Cassidy had gone to use the bathroom, and to wash her face a bit. As she was walking to the door, she passed Samantha and said hi. Samantha half-heartedly replied, followed by a question of where Nathan was. Cassidy laughed and replied that he was going to talk to the aliens. Samantha got up and began to walk to the green Spirit. Eyes fierce. Nathan however, had tracked down the female Elite and was mingling with her.

"Hey…so uh…pretty cool Hangar huh?" he feigned indifference, looking away when he spoke to her. She was taller than he was, but slimmer and more shapely than his stocky build. Her skin wasn't pale and scaly, it was darker and softer to the touch. When Nathan approached her, she had trembled a bit- but then calmed down once he began to talk to her. In a feminine voice she replied,

"Our ship has a bigger hangar, of course I don't mean to offend. The size dimensions and sheer volume of the rooms…" she trailed off. Eyes t the ground, mandibles closed. Nathan reached over and looked her in the eyes with his own orange ones. She shivered a bit, and his hand met her face. She looked worried, but his face was smirking like he was taking the lead here. She then shifted her personality, and her hand came up to caress his chest. Nathan surprisingly yelped a bit, but she pushed on and grabbed the arm touching her face.

"Well…I seem to take a liking to you, _human_. I actually think I even…_love _you. And with love comes something else…do you know what?" the she-elite spoke with English words that rolled off her tongue. The same tongue that came forward and lapped at Nathan's cheek. Her face seemed to be more shapely than the males, with an upper lip of sorts. Nathan then bravely brought his mouth up to it and began to kiss it, swirling his tongue around on the roof of her mouth. She murmured something, and then brought her mandibles up to hug his entire face as they kissed, him smooching her upper lip as she nuzzled his face. Samantha arrived just then, and she gasped in surprise and anger. The couple didn't seem to notice, so she backed away with tears in her eyes. Backed away into the bare and tones chest of Mari'juan. She whimpered when his long hands grabbed her naval area and brought her body closer to his own. His head came down and rested against the right side of her face. He then lustily whispered,

"I always wondered what Eliz'z thought of when she stared at the human. Come with me, and I'll take you places."

She trembled and small tears of heartbreak rolled down her cheeks. She then quietly cried out,

"I'll show him! The _bastard_."

The Elite devilishly smiled as she spun around and embraced him. He brought a hand up to lightly caress her face, and she grabbed it with desperation. The two then backed up into a secluded corner, where large cargo boxes blocked the light.

Cassidy had returned from the bathroom, when she was jumped on by the Jackal from earlier. Hand to her mouth, he embraced her for a few moments, and she relaxed. He was completely nude, and his height was making her feel feeble even though the physique was roughly the same. The Jackal brought a hand to her breast and he groaned into her hair s his face went into it. She moaned a bit, shamed at the noise that escaped her mouth. After some walking, the Jackal grabbed her hand and led her to the back of the Spirit. His cock stirred, but she didn't see. She said a quick phrase and then slithered out of her jumpsuit/uniform. She was only wearing her undergarments there, and with some care she unclasped her bra and let it fall. Her large breasts jiggled a bit as she bent down to pose for the Jackal. It literally grabbed her breast with it's massive jaws and lightly bit into her. The teeth held her in place as his long tongue slipped and slid across her nipple, stimulating it and creating a wet haven. She managed to fall backwards, but the Jackal came on her with strong arms. With his three fingers he grabbed and fondled her breasts gently, massaging them together or biting them. One time he managed to suck on one until she started to moan in pain from the pressure, he let go and the pleasure swept through her bosom. She looked to the Jackal's crotch region, and was surprised to see a Sheath with a barbed dick sliding out. When it was fully out, it was seven feet long and various barbs ran alongside it.

"Oh no. That's not going in-"

But she was tossed around onto her knees and he ass rose in the air. Driven by lust she screamed,

"Put that meat stick in me and fuck me hard!"

The Jackal knelt down, licked the area below her back, even having his tongue brush her anal hole. She gripped her buttock with one hand and propped herself against the Spirit with another, and when the violent thrust rocked her body she howled. The barbed prick drove it's fleshy thickness into her vulva and managed to make her squeal and whimper loudly. After a long push the prick entered her, and it drove her nerves insane. She began to wildly moan and rock her ass against the Jackals, and the thing smacked against her and roughly loved her hole. The barbs made her sensitive region tickly with pleasure, and it wasn't long before the thrusts got faster.

"OH! FUCK ME. OH GOD. AW, ARGH."

Cassidy lurched forwards, face on the spirit and he head banged the craft as the Jackal powerfully thrust into her. Two pushes and then a knot of sorts squeezed in and anchored itself in her, then the semen came flooding out of the slit on the dick and into her pussy. She gurgled and cried tears, as the knot refused to move. The two lay there in the dark, the meaty penis inching out of her every minute. She grabbed the Jackal's strong thigh and made him thrust into her one last time. She had orgasmed the minute he came in, and then the second after his final two pushes.

"Oh god. Ohhhhhh. We need to do that again sometime baby. Ah." and the knot slipped out with a PLOP!

…

Nathan had Eliz'z with her armor and suit off in a matter of minutes after she groped his dick. He had propped her up against the wall and then fumbled to take his penis out. It was 6 inches long with an insane circular head that was rough to the touch. Eliz'z had spread her legs and revealed a lightly grizzly vagina. The pink was exposed to the chill air, and her clitoris was poking out. Nathan had been sucking on her massive titties only moments before, trying to get her to whimper or moan. But she kept her mouth shut and squirmed as the pleasure rocked her.

"Alright baby! Here it comes. Ohhhh ho ho yeah!"

He brought out his incredibly thick member, which hung a bit with all the meat on it. He pushed into her, and a loud scream escaped her lips. He lifted one of her toned legs and carried her thigh up, her hoofs falling limp. One foot was on the ground, while another helped broaden the love experience. He was pushing up against her, dick rubbing against her wet walls. Sangheili vaginas seemed to be used to rough fucks, as this one was wide and the friction lubricated Nathan's dick more. His orange eyes burned into her's, making her head with the feathery hair arch backwards. The mandibles opened up and a loud scream escaped her as he smacked his rough head against her bundle of pleasure nerves which marked the g-spot. One hand on her firm bottom, he began to massage it and it make her head spin. Nathan then fucked upwards so hard she lost her footing and slid his dick into her more. Eyes wide, Nathan took advantage of her position and began to fuck her by grabbing her waist and sliding his member into her faster and faster.

"AAAAAAAAaaaargghghgh!" she cried, as her orgasm washed down a thick liquid onto Nathan's cock. He went wild and grabbed her bottom with both hands, using his thrusts to keep her upright. Finally his head exploded sperm and it went right into her g-spot, she fell to the ground panting- and Nathan dropped to his knees on top of her.

Panting the two kissed. Nathan went hard again when he saw her exhausted expression.

"Here, get on your knees I want to try something."

Eliz'z complied and before long she was on her knees, breasts fucking Nathan's member. He grabbed the sides of her head, to her surprise, and forced her head to lower down and suck up his member. Mandibles wide open, the rough head slid into her throat and he moved deeper down. Throat fucking him while she mumbled loud noises, he smacked his balls against the bottom of her neck. They slid upwards and wet her breasts and chin, and before long her eyes were shut as he came into her throat. The sperm flushed down her throat and she fell away gagging and coughing. Nathan proudly whistled and he then sat down and told her to sit in his lap. Her large form crouched down and her butt rubbed against his inner thighs. He kissed her face and she protested,

"No! That's filthy!"

Nathan laughed and stuck a finger in her vagina, and she gently gagged as her voice was lost to lust.

…

Samantha was standing, back to Mari'juans pectorals and abdominal muscles. Her armor and shirt were off, and he was cupping a breast in each hand. She was crying as his massive dick was up into her pussy. All he had to do was rock his pelvis back and forth a small bit in order for the full 9 inches of his dick to literally tear though her virgin pussy. The first few minutes were gruelingly painful, but she then lost all thought to lust. Her eyes were glossed over and she came hard, the shockwaves trembled through her body. Mari'juan had been licking her face and eventually even kissing and fondling her lips. Samantha came hard once again, the small puddle of hot liquids pooling up in the darkness. Mari'juans penis was so large and thick that she had to suck him to lube him up. She could only get ¼ of his dick wet though, without choking herself. He complied by slowly sliding into her, and then lovingly moving back and forth.

"ARGH! Ugh, oh GOD! Ugh. ARGH. UhhRAGH. ARGH! AGH! AGH! GO SLOWLYyYyYyY!"

But The Elite picked up his pace and fucked her pussy till it started to chaff. His massive dick burst through her womb and she felt his large head jab her stomach. Her belly distended with every thrust, it was as if there was something trying to punch its way out of her guts. Mari'juan yelled in primal dominance and his hot semen flushed down his dick and into her womb. There was so much that her belly began to fill up, and she was thrown to the floor. Moaning as the large amounts of semen dripped out, Maru'juan raised her and hugged her with passion. He brought his tongue and licked her from the naval to her mouth, where she put her tongue into his mouth and they kissed in the darkness.

…

The three couples emerged from their spots, tired and satisfied. They stunk of spunk and sweat, but they then began to all laugh together when they saw the naked female Marine being penetrated by the Engineer's tentacles. Another Marine was making out with a crewwoman as he pounded her pelvis with his own shaft. The engineer's dick-shaped head was exploring the inner cavity of another crewwoman, before she gushed cum all over his face. He pulled his head out and shook the liquid off, slowly blinking his eyes. His tentacles were going so deep inside the woman, that she began to swear as loud as she could. One tentacle was viciously fucking her asshole, and the cries became so intense people thought he was killing her. She came once more, just as the Engineer's own "tentacly" penis squirted white stuff onto her back. The liquid was so hot, she cringed and tried to get it off. There was an awkward silence, but she stood up and kissed the Engineer right on the nose of his face. He hummed with gratitude, and she yelled:

"Oh GOD that was fucking AMAZING!"

…

The Arbiter watched outside his Cabin's window, silently wondering how much the humans hated the aliens aboard.


	27. Chapter 27: The insufferabe waiting

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 27: The insufferable waiting

"Sir, it's clear. We've made it to Plymouth."

Cotton and the Chief had gotten up from their hiding spot and emerged into the Maintenance Tunnels. Cotton easily went through some shortcuts the Chief and Cortana never noticed or detected, and before long they were walking the halls of the battered Flagship. The Chief put the Nareesi Sniper Rifle onto his back while Cotton tossed the heavy thing to a solider emerging from a door. Infiltrator bodies were being piled up by Sylpharians with Hazmat gear, and then the bodies were disposed of by a disintegrator gun which turned the carcasses into orange ash- and then light. A lot of the Marines onboard were seated on the bright hallway's floors bleeding and moaning. A team of Medics rushed by with a stretcher, the Sylph on it wasn't looking good. Their head was caved in on one side and a deep downward gash from their shoulder to naval area was leaving them to bleed out. Chief remembered his time at Crow's Nest, and this eerily reminded him of it.

"Enjoy the view Alien." Cotton grimly remarked. The Chief looked to the side where a puncture hole had torn through the hull. The insides of the hole were where pipes or supports had collapsed, but the outside was a bright blue sky and endless dark-blue ocean. The Chief gripped onto the side of the hole and looked through. The Flagship was hovering over the ocean, and some green land could be seen from the tip of the end of the massive Flagship.

"Wow…I wonder what Sealife they have." Cortana remarked, before she groaned in pain and drove the Chief's motion sensor and optics to static. He took his helmet off and let the light from the sun warm his face. Cotton looked at him with wide eyes before nodding his head and turning.

"I didn't know you had a face. I guess that is just armor." he hoarsely said. The two continued onwards until they reached the bottom of the Flagship, where it touched the water's surface a small bit. He shook a Sergeant's hand and ordered for the ships to be sent off. The Chief looked to the deck below, and the enormous cargo plank came down with a threatening hiss. Water poured into the deck, and the various aquatic craft the Sylphs had jetted out with blinding speed. The ship then floated up, and it shook from the gravitational pull. Cotton held the rails but did not falter, and the Chief locked his boots to the metallic ground.

"Bring us to Plymouth!" Cotton yelled. The command was carried through the PA system and the ship flew towards the floating base. The base itself was half the size of the ship, but nonetheless it was not shaken by the air friction given off when the flagship stopped flying. The huge plank closed once again, and the one's on the side opened. Air rushed out in a gentle breeze, and an armed Helicopter-ish craft set up and off towards the base. Plymouth itself was a very Aztec looking Pyramid with massive courtyards at every edge of it's square base. Thruster engines came off the middle of each base's side. Huge power supply generators were hooked up to each engine, and they were covered with thick armor and green shielding. The tip of the base was a huge building which looked over the edges of the section below. Windows looked out to the sea, however large radio communication relays protruded outwards to various angles on top of the building. Turrets which resembled Muskets, were set up everywhere, and they would aim at anything that flew by. The base itself was a very bland grey color with little-to-none metallic glow. Moss was growing off at some sides while vines hung off old parts and pieces. Portholes and lights made up a lot of the base's exterior.

"Plymouth, is a PletroMax-class Firebase. Don't anger the security system, which only works with Nareesi DNA." Cotton nonchalantly informed the Chief.

"This thing looks like a city!" Cortana exclaimed. The Chief put his helmet back on and then observed as the Ship was hooked up to the base with incredibly large cables and struts. Various construction machines and personnel then flooded the hull.

"It also serves as a repair station. Expect awhile before this Flagship goes into the Violet-Sea, Alien. I'm sure Commander Atario won't mind having an Alien rest up in his PletroMax."

An armed escort team, including Beronica and Murdok, went alongside the Chief as he walked out of a VTOL-like Nareesi Aircraft. The Landing Pad was painted orange, but most of it was dark black- with lights going around the edges. The group made it down the steps and then met a Sylpharian male, who looked a bit tired but confident. His armor jutted out at angles, which made his look menacing. His armor was colored light-blue with navy blue camouflage going across it. His guards were encased in large diving suits, and they had on aquatic gear, Scuba Goggles and skinsuits which hugged their bodies tightly. They all stood at attention with Nareesi Submachine guns. They were green-ish guns which hugged around your wrist, and their barrels were rectangles which jutted straight outwards. The magazine was placed into it's left or right side, while a grip was molded in with it's ovular receiver.

"Atario! Good to meet you. I'm sure you know the situation?"

Atario was a Nareesi male who had pale-white skin with scales that ran along the sides of his face, His squid-like hair was longer, but it was hidden by the crest of his back armor. His lips were hard like bone, and he clacked-

"Yes sir! I see this is the Alien…well fuck me you're huge!"

The Chief looked down upon the rough man, not even flinching when he smacked a gloved hand on his shoulder.

"Alright, come this way. These lower tier guys aren't very groomed. Course the top tier gentlemen and ladies are better looking."

They went up a flight of steps and entered a building with a large lobby-like interior. Instead of couches and desks however, there were crates with wires coming from them hooking up into consoles on the wall. Guards were everywhere, and they tensed up when Atario walked in. Some Heavy-Lifting Sylphs leaned against a wall talking with each other. Everyone's eyes were on the Chief, cotton, and Atario.

"You must know that their right outside of the atmosphere?" Cotton asked Atario. He grunted and tilted his head to one side before responding with,

"You do know that Plymouth hasn't fell. Ever. We're prepared, and right now those islands rich with the mineral we need- is what matters to us. The cities have been evacuated, but any ship caught leaving will be blown to hell by their blockade."

The Chief piped up,

"How do we get those civilians off-world then?"

Atario surprisingly looked at the Chief, before figuring that the mechanical stuff he was encased n must have translated. He slowly said back, almost as if he doubted the translator-

"We punch a hole in their blockade and run for our lives."

Atario at that exact moment led revealed the large Cannon pointed through a hole in the ceiling. It looked like a Mass Cannon, and it was locked into it's position to look outwards. Many technicians ran around from place to place checking things, as engineers came out of the various nooks and crannies covered in black gunk. A male Nareesi came up to Atario and wearily said,

"Sir- my machine will be ready soon, AH! High Commander and…the guest I've heard so much about."

He looked up at the Chief and then quickly glanced down. He as a Science Type, with a dark black robe that hung off parts of his body. His physique below showed, with the pale green skin color. His eyes were a dark purple, while Atario's were blue and yellow.

"Doctor Freud." Atario acknowledged. His accent easier to understand than Freud's which was very foreign. Freud walked off after bidding them good-bye, only to be approached by a large group of Engineers saying how the cannon wasn't going to be completed soon enough.

"NO! It's either my creation or YOUR LIVES!"

He then stormed off as they angrily groaned and went back to work. The Chief clanked off with cotton and Atario to an elevator, while he looked around and let Cortana marvel at the dark interior of the base. It looked very low-tech, but was sufficient to look futuristic and advanced to Cortana. The group finally made it to the Control/Observation deck and basked in the enormity of the Flagship. Repairs seemed to go slowly, but it was still cool to look at the numerous dark dots of workers climb onto the hull and begin clearing away debris or welding things.

"Freud's working on a cannon which will let the ships take off through a hole in their blockade once we fire it. Until then, it's wait till they storm in and kill everyone." Atario grunted. A young Sylph bumped into him, and he fiercely tossed the male aside. The male landed into Cotton's arms, only to be gently nudged away by cotton himself.

"My brother wasn't really one for touches." Cotton laughed.

"Brother?" The Chief asked.

"Yep. Atario loves this place. Shame to know it'll be destroyed soon enough."


	28. Chapter 28: Alpha Team

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 28: Alpha Team

."Captain James Cutter. Service Number, Oh-173Oh-58392-JC. Glad to know you're alive." Stalin responded as he checked out Cutter's biography. Captain cutter was enjoying a glass of Brandy with Admiral Stalin. Anders was with the cruiser's top engineers and researchers to help power up the Spirit with energy from Stalin's cruiser. The two of them were in the Bridge, lights dimmed while crewmen worked frantically to organize a base below the ship's position in the jungle.

"Apparently you've been through A LOT." Stalin laughed. Cutter didn't respond with a smile. He was still incredibly disturbed by the events he witnessed.

"I lost many good men. The Covenant back then…thankfully which don't exist anymore now- were ruthless. Their Arbiter was killed by one of my best men. He stayed behind to detonate the Forerunner Fleet."

Stalin perked up when Cutter spoke about the fleet. He raised an eyebrow and took a small sip of brandy from the glass cup.

"You think…you think that we'll have more of those Forerunner ships here? This is a Shield World which matches your description of the world you escaped."

"Hehe, you can thank Serena for that escape. What's your goal though, sir?"

"Well, we came here to colonize this planet- while also follow up some incredibly classified intel of Forerunner and Neo-Covenant activity here."

Just then, Hugh the Mountain Man appeared on his holographic panel and he set a Musket to the ground. Twitching his bearded face a bit he informed Stalin of a radio passage that barely made it past the communications range of this planet.

"*CRRR* This is Fireteam Octavia, the base in under control but we're getting increasingly alarming messages from the Tundra region. We're beaming it to you now. Hopefully by the time this message reaches you the dispute over there will be finished."

Stalin ordered Hugh to play the radio messages attached to the message on loop.

"Admiral, this is bad. I'm getting casualties from the Cave regions of the mountain we're near. Forerunner bases are found, and we have reports that a Tower near the base of a mountain has been found. However all attempts to reach it have been thwarted by…unknown hostiles. I understand that you've redirected the majority of troops to a location that is unknown to us. Be safe Admiral. *long sigh* This is bad. Captain Clementine out."

The female on the other side of the cut off and Hugh twitched his beard again. The Bridge door's opened and a group of Spartan-IV's strutted out. One, the leader, was a tall man with a shaved head and dark-brown skin.

"Sir, Captain cutter neglected to inform us of…well his troops." the Spartan said in a deep African accent.

"And what troops would those be?" Stalin asked. Cutter stood up and spoke,

"My Spartans."

The taller Spartan-II's walked in, Jerome-092, Douglas-042, and Alice-130. This was Alpha Team of Red Team. Alpha was a splinter group of the larger Red Team.

"Captain Cutter…it seems as if we were sleeping on the job." Douglas remarked.


	29. Chapter 29: YLLAFWYPOTG

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 29: You look like a fool with your boots on the ground

Cutter shook Jerome's hand and then briskly nodded his head at Alice and Jerome. The Spartan-IV's looked a bit marveled and envious at the same time, but they didn't speak. Some unconscious instinct made Cutter and his Spartans group up on one side of the room, and Stalin with his Spartans on the other side. They noticed this and promptly switched positions to mix up the balance, unsettling the Bridge crew. Stalin chuckled out,

"Well, looks like we have some veterans with us. Sayrab, take Fireteam Voyager out. Cutter stay here with your Spartans."

After a few moments the movement ceased and Cutter sat back down, rubbing his face and feeling his pointy whiskers on his soft palm. Stalin swished his cup around and stared at Cutter and his Spartans.

"There's more?"

"There's more."

Hugh came on again, this time with his hands propping up his musket on both shoulders like a carrying pole. He smacked his lips a bit before saying how the camp below ran into some trouble as they scouted the forest. Stalin got up and asked for more information.

"Well, sir. Seems like hostile aquatic vertebrae are compromising the encampment process. They want a Spartan team down there to help. Sergeant Yankermanjenson's been forwarding distress calls and lighting up beacons everywhere. Sir, I recommend sending a team down there now. Night's falling, and with it comes the 'horrors of darkness'." Hugh joked.

"With all due respect sir, let my Spartans handle it. This is our home according to Serena…she wouldn't like a few fish coming out of the pond and mucking up her garden." Cutter hesitantly laughed. Stalin smiled and agreed.

"Let's see what your made of Spartans. Good luck. Cutter will be managing operations from here. My Spartans are on stand-by to help any time you need to. Just call."

…

Alpha team's Pelican floated over the afternoon-lit jungle. A clearing was cut out underneath the cruiser, and multiple vehicles and crates littered the area, as well as mobile steel-floors set down on rough ground. There was a Forklift next to a wired generator and light system. White light strongly shined onto the ground. All was quiet…until Serena's face popped up on all of Alpha Team's HUDs. She smiled and sarcastically said,

"It appears we missed the party. I've set up a waypoint for you to go to. Our marines have been dispatched to the location where Sergeant YankerYankermanjen- okay who else thinks this name is ridiculous? The Sergeant's IFF Tag is active but life-signals have disappeared. Let's not hope for the worst case scenario."

The Pelican's plank came down and a squad of Marines and Alpha team stormed out. The marines had their outdated armor on, however they also had increased shields and preferred to use the Battle Rifles or Assault Rifles Stalin provided them. Jerome and Douglass each had a DMR on their back. Jerome clanked out, Spartan Laser on his shoulder. Douglas had a Rocket launcher, while Alice carried a modern Machine Gun Turret.

"I preferred the rotary ones better. Gatling or go home." Alice remarked. The Marines played with their guns and began to settle in, until a Marine with torn and shredded armor stumbled into the clearing.

"THOSE FISH FUCKERS ARE EATING JIMMY!"

He then fell to the ground and the bloody cavity at the left-back end of his spine was revealed. Jerome flicked open his infrared/thermal scanner on the Splazer and pointed it at the trees. Alice rotated the turret around to observe the environment. Douglass ran forwards and grabbed the dead body, dragging ti backwards to the Pelican while one hand held a huge Rocket Launcher and was aimed at the direction the marine came from.

"Rocksworthe, Private, Foxtrot. He's the Sarge's guy." Douglas told Jerome.

"Be on the look-out. Serena, you're not exactly near us, but can you see through the canopy?"

The bushes rustled and the marines took cover at the Forklift and crates. Jerome walked forwards and bent down, putting a knee to the steel plate floor below, half buried by jungle dirt. Serena's voice came back over comms.

"Captain Cutter had informed me that Fireteam Voyager has set down near you. They seem to have run into trouble near an air pad/ communications tower being constructed. It went dark awhile ago, and so have they. If you can clear it out, I can send troops in for reinforcements."

Jerome ordered the Marines to protect the Pelican while Alice, Douglas, and himself headed for the Air Pad/Tower. The Spartans moved to the pad, occasionally being attacked by a wild animal, but Alice took care of most of them. She scared them off with some bullets to the sky.

"You're almost there Spartans…odd. Looks like fireworks." Serena joked.

In truth there were these half-piranha and half-man beats wearing loincloths tearing Spartans apart by rushing towards them and ripping their armor off. A Spartan-IV thruster packed away only to smack into the claws of one of the monsters and get smashed against a tree. His arm was then torn off and thrown at a Spartan bleeding out onto the ground, clutching her guts as they slipped out from her torso. Bullets were spraying everywhere and the fish folk were being downed, however the water source near the Pad kept spitting out more monster-men. Alice opened fire on one as it grabbed a Spartan in white armor and with a Venator helmet on, and then proceeded to toss it into the air and snap down on it with it's massive jaws. The huge wide eyes went to Alice, and the monster was flung backwards as the barrage of bullets pierced it. Jerome lasered one and it smelled like cooked salmon, but the scent of blood and smoke drowned out the odor. He whipped around and smashed the weapon at the face of the fish monster, before grabbing his DMR and head-shot'ing the beast. It's chin exploded, forehead also as the bullets flew straight up and out. Douglass fired a Rocket at the water source and the water flew everywhere, making the earth muddy and slick. The shower of water continued as the skirmish ended.

"Serena, send in reinforcements. Pad is clear." Douglas said, water raining down on his white striped, black high-lighted helmet. Alice tossed her empty gun aside and picked up an Assault Rifle from the ground. Putting in a fresh clip she put it onto her back and walked over to the remnants of Fireteam Voyager. Admiral Stalin's voice chattered through the com channel.

"Alpha Team, your AI had just told me that Fireteam Voyager is KIA. Sayrab wants their bodies returned to the carrier. Your AI is sending in some marines Cutter has provided. I've taken the liberty of adding in extra caution with some ordinance. Get those bodies back Spartan."

A lean retro Pelican landed and out swarmed Marines with rag-tag armor. Another Pelican came, a larger one, and a crouched Mantis jumped off it's latches on the roof of the aircraft. It landed into the mud and brown water splashed everywhere. The Mantis was colored green and grey, with black striped marking it. Jungle camouflage covered it, and a buzz-saw had replaced the Rocket Arm. The Mini-gun had longer barrels that protruded from it's piece, they too were camouflaged. Large leaves and small twigs were scattered on the chassis of the Mantis, and it's feet sunk down into the ground. A young voice came out over the loudspeaker,

"Ey Spartans. I'm here for support. Put the bodies in the bird, and lead on!"

Fireteam Voyager was put into the stretchers Stalin's Pelican provided. They were then loaded into the large Pelican.

"Hey baby, how'd you like the ride?" the Stalin's Pelican pilot asked Cutter's. An annoyed female voice came over the radio replying with,

"Ugh. Men."

The two aircraft flew off, just as night was descending down. The Marines took up the Airpad, and a Darter would fly in time to time dropping off some supplies. The nimble aircraft traversed the skies and went from the Pad to the Spirit, and back again over and over. Alpha Team charged into the forest to look for the Sergeant, the Mantis stomping away behind them, sawing trees in half. Jerome then came to the IFF tag of the Sarge, and plucked it out of the sand. That's when he realized he was sinking. Alice put her AR out for him to reach, and he did- but a shadow underneath the water pulled him back in. After a few moments of panic, Jerome emerged from the quicksand, dead fish-man slumped over his shoulder.

"Ew. We're hunting those?" the Mantis driver asked. Alice climbed aboard the Mantis and took a comfortable seat on it's Mini-gun arm, AR aimed at the trees. Douglass aimed his Rocket Launcher extremely close to the bush below.

"Well, this is the Sarge. Serena, any other tags?" Douglas asked. After a short silence she said,

"No. I'm not picking any up. However the boys back at your ride have gone dark. Might want to check that out."

Double-timing it back to the landing zone, the Spartans saw a battlefield of limbs and spent shell casings. A Marine at the exploded remains of the Forklift clutched his belly and grunted out,

"They ambushed us. We had to move to the trees. The bird's done for. The rest of us, we scrambled to the trees. Hurry!"

He then died with a rasping choke. The Mantis whirred to the Pelican, and said-

"I'll head back to the Pad Spartans. That soup is too think for me. Get those guys back to the Pad why don't cha?"

Alpha Team agreed and the Mantis activated it's lights and stomped back into the Jungle.

"Serena, where are these guys?" Jerome asked, concerned for the Marines. He got a general location from her and they ran into the Jungle. They found the Marines at a dead end, surrounded by fish-men with a rocky hill wall to their backs. They desperately fired their guns at the swarm, fighting for their lives. Douglas fired a rocket into the crowd and created a scorched opening. They funneled through with the help of Alice and Jerome. Retreating through the jungle, on each side the Fish folk would snatch or harass the line as they ran for the clearing.

"GO GO G-ugh!"

Alice's shoulder was chomped on, blood completely coating the inside of her suit and drenching it. She punched the thing and stabbed it's belly with her knife, before falling to the ground on one knee. Douglas's rocket blew up too close to him, and dirt went flying everywhere, while his body soared the air and landed into the brush. The Marines helped Alice up and Jerome went to get Douglas when a loud buzzing sound was heard and red blood sprayed everywhere. Screams of agony erupted through the forest, and a Fish man's top torso landed at Alice's feet. The Mantis stomped through the forest and opened fire at the crowd of Fish folk.

"This is it Spartans, head for the Pad!"

The Mantis was boarded by a few Fish folk, and the pilot swung the Mantis around, kicking and rotating as they beat into his chassis. He came out of the Mantis and fired a Magnum at them, their head's kicking back as the bullets entered their brains. The Pilot was chomped on, and he flung the last Fish man off before getting back into the Mantis. Serena kept everyone's spirits up by telling them that they were close.

"Ugh…ur…go on Spartans. I'll be fine. Let me get…rehh…lemme get the rear."

"You're injured." Jerome observed. The Mantis's saw spun up and it charged through the forest creating a shortcut of fallen trees and charred dirt. The small group ran through and reached the Pad, where a Falcon and some Hornets were stationed. A Darter was there also, Sayrab the Spartan-IV waiting for them. He had on silver armor, an EVA cuirass and Recon shoulders- with a Soldier helmet on- green visor staring at the Mantis as it smoked and puffed.

"Let's go let's go! Fireteam Black, take out their pursuers!" Sayrab commanded. He aimed his Railgun and fired a powerful shot into the jungle. The all-black armored Spartans in the trees opened fire with Sniper Rifles and DMR's, taking down the seeming less unending hoard of Fish folk. The Marines got into the Falcon and hornets, while Red Team was ordered to board the Darter. The aircraft's cargo hold was replaced with an infantry deck, acting like a deployment room for soldiers. The large aircraft was painted green with orange stripes going across it.

"Alpha Team, there I a modified Darter ready for exfil. Hop aboard and you'll reach the Spirit in no time." Serena said.

They got in, and it's doors slid shut. The Darter floated upwards and sped off into the night sky.


	30. Chapter 30: Ohshitson!

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 30: Ohshitson!

(Hive-King! They're using a planetary mortar to blow a whole in the blockade!) The tall Insectanoid male growled. He was running across the throne room when the ship shook and he stumbled, grabbing onto the console nearest him. Another rumble and shake had the ship rock so hard he actually fell. A large shadow fell across the shaken male, and he was hefted up by a large meaty and strong claw/hand.

(Target the mortar and blast it to the After-Hive!) he screamed. Pointing a clawed hand to the weapons console at the core of the left-wall. The males there were frantically punching and typing away, trying to aim their Air-to-Ground guns at the base. One male slammed his hands on the console and yelled in rage. His mandibles rapidly twitched out,

(The fucking gun is UN-TRACEABLE! There's no land mass near the fucking thing, it's over water. And we can't nuke the fucking ocean! ARGH!)

The Hive-King strode over to the male and smacked him away, hard. The male smashed into the ground, but got back up. He then sulked, but the Hive-King placed a huge claw delicately on the man's exoskeletal shoulder.

(Stop panicking! Send in a Suppression Team, King's Guard. Smite the gun and-)

**BSHOOM!**

(What was that?!) he yelled.

(The fucking MORTAR just blew a FUCKING. HOLE. In our BLOCKADE. The _Magenta Emperor _is all but lost.) a crewmen looking through the heavy glass-paned window's observed.

The Hive-King walked over to the windows and saw the rubble and debris of the ship floating around in space. The obvious opening in the line of ships was not very hard to miss. Annoyed, the King stomped his large right foot with a powerful **THWOOM**! Then the small white specks started to quickly fly through the opening and escape the blockade.

(What the? STOP THEM! Fire fire fire!) he commanded. The guns of the ships rotated around and spun up quickly as they lobbed out green shots. Some white specks exploded while the other were unharmed. A majority of the crowd had escaped now, and a small Frigate had taken the larger Battleship's spot in the blockade. The blockade was set up right above Plymouth, and it'd take too long for the evacuation craft to go on a route far from the clutches of the Hive-King's long-range weapons and blockade defenses. The Surface-to-air Planetary Mortar that Freud cooked up worked perfectly. The cannon charged once again and fired at the Flagship. One of it's engines exploded.

(King's Guard! Now!) The Hive-King yelled.

(What's with all the hollering milove?) The Hive-Queen asked. She walked through the doors wearing only the fabric bedspread that massively draped over her naked body. The Hive-King did not turn. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, and then loudly ordered a servant to bring her a drink.

(I expect it to be here by YESTERDAY.)

The Hive-King grabbed the glass cup from the servant and flung it at her. It smacked into her face and she was sent reeling back, bedspread sent flying. He then tromped towards her. Fearfully cowering backwards she went to a wall.

(_You_. You! You are no wife of mine. You think I don't know what you've been doing? You think I'm a fool?! …I won't kill you. However your punishment, is SEVERE. You are EXILED. Leave! If you so as step foot into my Fleet's space, or even the homeworld itself- you'll be addressed as a hostile and your presence will force us to fire upon you! GUARDS! Get this _bitch _out of my sight. The nerve to walk in here and command one of my subjects to listen to you, you **WHORE**.)

Armed guards dragged her out, as she writhed and squirmed screaming bloody murder. The Hive-King sighed, and he placed a claw-ey hand to his head in weariness. Looking around he told everyone to return to work, before launching a massive invasion force to the ocean and islands.

(Get the Kings Guard down there, now! And prep my Craft…I'm going down there.) he grunted. The Hive-King stood up and walked out the door, taking a moment to look at the sot where his "_Queen_" was a moment ago.


	31. Chapter 31: Mathta Cheef

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 31: Mathta Cheef

They descended in the morning. Black dots in the sky, until a large vessel jumped into the sky and obscured the suns light. Foolish move, as the Hyper Cannon fired right into it's port flank, the blast tearing through it and exiting out the top. The corvette lazed in the sky until it tilted drastically and it's front dipped into the sea with a violent splash. The blackish and jutted ship sunk down as smoke and fire licked at the waves, until it's tail and large engines stuck out from the sky. Only it's shadow could be seen under the water, huge bubbles of oxygen floating above the water. Then the pods came. The egg shaped metallic pods jumped up out of the air, only to be gunned down from above by the huge turrets Plymouth had. It looked to be a winning battle, until the large cloaked gunships came into view through the smoke of the cruiser, and the Drop Pods they had attached to the mid-section of their hull were un-latched. The small and triangular shaped pods swiftly flew downwards through and spiraled, that's when the flaps on the side opened up, each one angled outwards a bit. Plymouth was battered by Drop Pods, and the royal Kings Guard stepped out.

"Woah there! We have Evocaters" Atario yelled. He loaded a rocket up into the launcher he had, and aimed. Positioned on a broken ledge at the west side of Plymouth's Aztec Pyramid base shape, he fired the bright red and orange blast and it smoked though the air in a spiraling pattern. The rocket crashed into the site of a Pod and it erupted with orange light and smoke. There was nothing left of the site other than the husks of charred Insectanoids and a twisted wreck of the Pod which shriveled up like over-cooked bacon. Atario smiled, but looked up to see a black shape quickly going at him. Eyes wide, he jumped for his life off the ledge, small rocks sliding off his foot. Flying through the air he flicked a small switch at his back, and blue flames rushed out of the jetpack he wore. The Drop Pod which landed on the ledge was stuck there, but a King's Guard sniper, dressed in dark-blue and grey steel colors, fired a shot from the long rifle. The laser attached to the rifle traced Atario, forcing him to fly through the air wildly. The shot landed in his jetpack and it exploded. He flew towards the Sniper, flailing his arms and legs forwards. The Sniper surpassingly tried to escape, but Atario smashed into him and the Pod shook. Wrestling each other, the Drop Pod shook and rumbled, until the ledge collapsed and the Pod with it. Again Atario fell, and he head-butted the Kings Guard Insectanoid. It was larger and stronger, but it's fragile head ached with pain. The thing punched Atario and sent him reeling to the side of the falling pod. He grabbed onto it's side in panic, and the Insectanoid stood. It walked over to him, in slow steps- careful not to fall. the Pod was still falling downwards. It stomped on Atario's hand and he wailed. Atario got a foothold on the lower side of the Pod, and he scrambled upwards. However his face was kicked by the Insectanoid.

"AH! BY MOUF!" Atario groaned. Spitting out blood he glared at the Insectanoid. It smiled, before a long and strong support cable impaled him. Atario only saw a glimpse of it before the Pod escaped the site. Blood made his grip slippery, before long the Pod reached the ground and exploded- but not before Atario jumped off at the last second and smashed onto the ground. Hands grabbed him roughly, dragging him upwards and on his wobbly feet. The Kinds Guard drew a blade, a white blade curved at the top.

"Chief! There!"

The seven foot Spartan tackled the blade wielding Kings Guard and caved in it's head with a powerful punch. The others opened fire, but his shields deflected the blows- and a savage strike with a Nareesi gun sent one falling into Atario's chest. He grabbed it and then stabbed it through the back with a saber of energy, like the one Cotton had. Coincidentally, Cotton slashed horizontally and left an Insectanoid to crumple to the ground with it's body sliced in half.

"Brother! The melody of war sickens me. We need to save ourselves. We must escape Plymouth!" Cotton complained. Atario punched his shoulder in anger, and stormed off.

"Fyolloh meh." he said with a bloody mouth. Cotton and The Chief followed. The ground of Plymouth was utterly destroyed. There was no more smooth and painted lanes or streets. No more crates or aircraft, or small generators and vehicles and lights. There was just debris, torn and ripped up floors with pipes revealed underneath, and mangled wrecks of Drop Pods or Aircraft. The bodies were mostly Kings Guard sniped or shot down from the base's snipers. However the skies rung with Fighter Planes zooming around and twisting in the sky. They fired at the Gunships, but they did not falter. More Drop Pods jetted out. All changed though, when a huge VTOL-ish Warship came into the sky. It looked like a Trident with a thick bladed sickle on each farthest trident poke. It was dark purple and black, with lines of magma colored lights and golden paint on it. The back of the trident's staff was where a four engine compartment was held. The narrow staff had turrets everywhere, where two barreled guns fired off volleys one barrel at a time. A huge voice boomed through the skies. Everyone heard it.

"WITNESS YOU AHNNIHALATION, WRETCHED." The Hive-King laughed with disgust.

Atario frothed and hissed out swears while Cotton somberly sheathed his blade. The Chief braced himself for a large and long fight, until a volley blasted at his location.

"RYUHNG!" Atario yelled. The trio sprinted to the base as the environment around them exploded and erupted. The huge doors of Plymouth's base was being assaulted. Pinned down Troopers were taking cover at the blown up defense turrets that littered the area. Cotton jumped up behind the armored King's Guard that fired rapidly firing machine-guns at the Nareesi. He slashes and beheaded, while the Chief reloaded his Nareesi assault rifle and fired small bolts. Atario picked up a radio and dialed in to Freud.

"Froyth! *spit* Ugh. Evocaters, protect the cannon! The main gate is being assaulted!"

A volley from the Hive-King's battle craft slowly flew towards the doors. They were locked up tight, with four sealed doors of extra powerful metals, and two electric walls.

"OPEN. THE FUCKING DOORS!" Atario yelled. The Guards punched in the code and the doors opened up one by one. The trio and the guards went inside as the doors opened one by one. They'd defend the front, wait for the back to open and then get inside. The one before the last one closed also, trapping the King's Guard in with them. They fought until the last King's Guard died. Relaxing they walked inside, as the booms outside dwindled. Freud ran up to them.

"It's overheated. We can't take out that thing in the sky!"

Atario wiped some blood from his mouth and spit. The saliva was there now, not the blood. The Chief looked down to Freud and then the cannon. Cotton looked at all of them with keen eyes.

"Overheated? Alright…destroy it. Shut down the thrusters, we're going to the sea."

…

Freud wailed and angrily cursed as he himself set up the wiring for the cannon to blow up when fired again. Atario's plan was justified. If they waited for the ship to get close to the cannon's port-hole, they'd self-destruct it and damage both the base and the battle-craft incredibly hard. Atario commanded troops around, waving his hand and barking orders. Cotton helped set up satchel charges to have this room cave in on itself.

"Chief, this seems a bit shady. I hope you packed your swim trunks. ARGH." Cortana whined.

"Cortana, hang in there. Maybe Freud can fix you?" The Chief somberly asked. Cortana chuckled before saying,

"I wish. *sigh* I'm scared, John." she sighed.

"…You're going need to be stronger Cortana. Be strong." The Chief croaked.

"Easy for you to say Spartan. I don't even have arms…the closest thing was that Nareesi machine." Cortana retorted.

After an awkward pause, Atario walked up to the Chief and handed him a large Rocket Launcher. He then tossed a few cartridges of Rockets to him also.

"My men need help defending the door. We're going to set up a sealed door behind them until all hostiles are down. I trust you can handle the enemy, and a large alien fighter like yourself might inspire them. Get to it?"

The Chief nodded and clanked off.

…

"Left side, left side!"

"Cover me I'm moving!"

"Fuck you man, I'm staying right here!"

"Shi-argh!"

The soldier fell into The Chief's arms, bleeding and limp. He set the male down onto the ground and aimed his Rocket Launcher. A Huge Tank with legs was crawling towards the door. Troops jumped out the back. The Hive-King's battle craft had blown a hole into the doors, an the tank did the rest. A whole army of troops were rushing in. There was fantastic cover for the Nareesi. Huge and thick door parts, debris piled up into large mounds of rubble, and the usual or odd metal crate full of nothing but junk.

"Alien! Over here ye booger!" somebody yelled. The Chief crouched down and snuck under the huge reign of bullets until he reached the trooper. The man had on uca-gear and diving gear, plus the rag-tag armor pieces normal Sylphs had on. He reloaded a rifle he had and propped it up on the wall of cover.

"Aim for the leg of the Tank! If we can stop it, it'll just be another roadblock for them! Or…maybe you can hijack it. Demon machines don't need their DNA to work them!"

Cortana advised wher ehe should fire and when, and with a sure shot the front right leg exploded as a rocket crippled the tank. He jumped up on the low wall of cover and ran at the Tank. It fired a blast that blew up behind him, and he thruster boosted up onto it's barrel. Reloading the Rocket he fired it into the tank and the crew died.

"It's still drivable! Plug me in!" Cortana commanded. He got into the cockpit and put her chip into a console that used larger compact devices. Still her chip fit. The Tank became violent and it rolled on three legs. One half of the large hallway was blocked by the massive tank. The tank's barrel fired a blast into the rushing crowd and they flew backwards as fire engulfed them. The Chief got up and fired his Rocket at the crowd also.

"ARGGHHAHAHHRRH!" Cortana shrieked. The Chief took the Chip out and backwards leapt off the Tank. It exploded and made the hallway collapse. The Nareesi implored the Chief to get back, and he did- but not before putting Cortana back into his suit. She looked miserable. He ran backwards as everything collapsed before him -however he did make it to the Nareesi soldier. He radioed in and the huge doors opened up before long. They stumbled in and Cotton pointed his sword outside. Seeing the place collapse he shut the doors with the keypad code and then hopped backwards, staying afloat.

"Good job! Freud! The time is now!" Atario hollered. The Hive-King's Battlecraft was firing drop pods at the top of the base, and everyone ran to the shelters. Freud activated the cannon and ran to the closest shelter. All the doors shut and cannon fired.

…

(Massive energy detected below us! Sir!)

The Hive-King ran to the soldier and looked at the screen. The entire front part of the battle craft was in a dot of dark-red. The Hive-King's armor slid and shook against each part when he ran screaming,

(Route all energy to shields! Life-support needs to be boosted n-!)

The cannon tore through the vessel and then exploded into a blinding yellow and blue light. Flames were everywhere. Energy radiated everywhere. It was hell in the sky.


	32. Chapter 32: The Techno-Bitch and tales

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 32: This Shit

"So we've come to the conclusion that we are not here as enemies, but loose _friends_." Captain Walker laughed. The Arbiter was standing gallantly, towering over him. Walker shook his hand firmly. They parted, only stepping back a step- their eyesight locked onto each other. The Honor guards were clinging together, uncertain about the environment they were in. The small Bridge of the _Arctic Warmth _was uncomfortable to them, and it was way too dark. The Destroyer held it's section of space alone. The _Levine's Ring _and _Native _had gone to return the "Diplomacy Team" back to the Fleet- a slow journey. Captain Jakoby was an odd fellow. The remaining Frigate, _Battlestar_, was parked at the hypothetical Territory line. The Prowler _Galaga _was uncloaked and relatively forgotten, but it still watched from the shadows of space.

"Well Captain Walker, seeing how you are the leading officer here, might I be asked that you come with me to meet my associate. If it doesn't endanger your position here of course. I can assure that, you will be treated royally while in our fleet." The Arbiter replied.

Walker sighed softly. He spun around and walked outwards to the windows. Wright was standing lazily on his console, fascinated with things every second. His head flung around to Walker and he raised in eyebrows in a: "So what now dude?"

"Your associate is a Prophet, correct Arbiter?" Walker asked, his head turned to the right, watching the Arbiter shift his footing a bit.

"Although my Shipmaster and I don't trust him fully, he has proven himself worthy to be cleared os suspicion. No action of aggression has made, I only agreed to join forces with him because of the enslaved brethren and troops aboard."

"Enslaved?! What exactly is going on over there Arbiter?"

"They aren't shackled, bound, or being forced for their work. They've been with him for a long time, and driven with courageous and zealous encouragement they are willing to die for him. They do however have all ability to neglect his rule and turn…but I believe it's going to take a long and hard toil."

"This guy seems shady, pardon my thoughts."

"*sigh* He asks for your company. And it pains me to vouch for his being. I would like to have your decision, right now if you don't mind?"

Walker looked at Wright, and the boy smirked and nodded his head frantically.

"You do know you're not coming along?" Walker asked Wright.

"So, that is an acceptance then?" The Arbiter asked. Walker shook his head confidently and flashed a smile. The Arbiter grunted and walked out with his Honor Guard tailing him. The crew looked out the door but returned to work.

…

"My Arbiter, message from the Shipmaster. _Our _Shipmaster." an Honor Guard informed Thel. He grabbed a small pad from the Elite and Rtas's face came into view, behind him a blue and black lit wall. His mandibles moved quickly as he rushed to say,

"My Arbiter! Our fleet is losing power! The planet is leeching it away!"

Thel ran with his Honor Guard to the Hangar Bay, where his Gun-boat Phantom was. It was limp on the ground, cannons inactive and engines dead. The bottom hole was open and the pilot was furiously banging his fist onto the vessel. He saw Thel and did a double-take.

Thel stiffly went into the porthole at the bottom of the Phantom. The inside was barren, and the lights were all off.

"Well what is your command now sir? Our ships are dead!" An Honor Guard gruffly remarked. Another banged his spear butt into the floor in tension.

"Since our own craft is the only one being damaged, our first quest is to find out why- the second is to stop it. The third, is the continuation of our original objective! Only then will we retaliate against the Prophet and free our enslaved brethren from servitude."

The Honor Guard boomed with agreement and The Arbiter slumped slightly. _What will happen now? _Thel thought to himself.

…

Rtas banged the low-energy console he was using. Cursing he spoke machine-gun Sangheili to an Operator and asked if she could check up with the Engineers at the Engine decks. The Sangheili female ran out the door, just as the artificial gravity was turned off. Floating through the air, she using her strong legs to propel herself through the hallway, passing by Grunts or other Elites- even a Jackal who trying to grab a Carbine that floated away from the Armory. She put her shark-helmeted head downwards and used both arms to touch the hallways. Pushing herself through the purple and green corridors, the destination was reached quicker. The doors opened and an Engineer's head was right in her face. Smacking it away, it chirped and went back to work- by floating up to the huge power generators and engines fueling the ship's systems and direction. It had it's helmet off, and these Engineers were all working away trying to boot up systems. Sadly, they all still had armor that constrained them, showing how enslaved they were even after the end of the war. They were treated better though, the Elites respected their knowledge and prowess with fixing things. The female Sangheli spoke to them all, loudly- her voice reverberating off the oxygen and walls that surrounded this room. They chirped in response, and dug into the engine. Fizzes and hisses were heard as parts were re-arranged, but the Engineers came back with no solution. All energy seemed to have disappeared somewhere. It was only until a message popped up at the Communications console in the Bridge. An Elite Minor asked for the command to play it out and Rtas gave it, the lights flickering and the hums of the ship fading in and out. Clicking what few buttons on the user-control platform that were still working right, the Elite activated a loop,

"Warning, unidentified sentient lifeforms in Segment Yorza-Fetah Zi will be fired upon by planetary self-defense platforms. Protocols dictate shutdown of unidentified sentient craft and/or vessels. Get. Away. From. The. Humans." a strict and diligent-sounding female voice commanded. There was ice in her voice that froze up the posture of every thing on the bridge. A flash of brilliant yellow light erupted from the console and it was deactivated permanently. Engine power was returned including the Navigation and Directioning. the lights returned to the Bridge only to rapidly flicker on and off as they seemed to short-circuit.

"Back! Retreat from the fleet! Retreat!" Rtas commanded. The ship began to slowly move back, the smaller ships struggling to escape from the direction of the huge Supercarrier. the Prophet called Rtas and aske what was wrong- but the same message was heard playing in the background. This time the last part was repalced with, "Face annihilation if unidentified life chooses to ignore." Somehow, this voice was understood by every species, Sangheili, Kig Yar, San 'Shyuum, Unggoy, the baffled Mgalekgolo, the horrified Huragok, and the frozen Yanme'e (rudely awakened from their synonymous Hive slumber).

…

Commander Mitch Emachi, leader of all Spartan Fireteams onboard the captain's cruiser- was currently driving a snow-camouflaged Mongoose to it's destination. The Forerunner Temple had been uncovered by a team exploring the caves that seemed to be a hotspot for disappearances of personnel. The Mongoose jumped a small gap between two snow dunes and landed with a soft WHUFF! Onto the floor. He wasn't alone though. A massive Aerial Squadron of three Pelicans, two Falcons and five Hornets followed his tail. The Hornets carried soldiers, the Falcons provided Thermal Overwatch with snipers and spotlights, while the Pelicans held all the gear needed to set up a permanent residence. Behind that flock, was an Albatross carrying two Mantis's. Mitch drove the Mongoose to the Beacon and swerved as snow was thrown to the side by the four-wheeler. The Pelicans floated in the air, while the Albatross set down and the two Mantis's stomped out, large feet slamming into the pwerdry white snow under them, sending up small clouds of misty white near their ankles. They were in original color, olive or green-ish. Lights were attached to their chassis as well as Flamethrowers instead of a Gatling Gun. The Rocket Launcher was equipped with lock-on and heat seeking missiles. The Mantis's tromped out of the Albatross and walked to light up an entire cave, one for each. The lights barely reached the end. Mitch cocked his Battle Rifle and aimed his weapon inside a Cave, the light on his gun shining everywhere. He heard the Hornets land and the Troops run off. The Pelicans landed somewhere far away and equipment started to be loaded out. Technical stuff, a Forklift, Some Fusion coils for energy and power, generators, heaters, long and thick cables, chairs and sheets of metal to put on the ground, and snow shovels.

"Alright it seems clear. Finch-1 can you get me a thermal reading on the caves? I don't want anyone to go inside yet. Finch-2 start getting some light down by the set-up. Troopers! We're going to form a perimeter and block off any entrance to the caves! Get into your teams and get ready to dig! Fireteam Incognito, follow me." Mitch said for the last order, in a hushed voice. Spartans that were in Active Camo uncloaked and put up their hoods. There were three males and two females, all varying in armor, height, and armaments. Hoods on, the Spartans walked to Mitch and he gave them direction.

"Alright, we're splitting into splinters here. Go into those caves, but don't alarm the Marines. I want an inside look not a lightshow. Jess and Nick- wait for the Falcon to finish it's thermal scan, tap into the comms for it and head out to the cave where it gets a signal, if it even does. The rest of you, get out your ice-axes and picks. We're scaling the wall."

Two Spartans cloaked and stepped backwards, it only took them a few seconds to disappear into the drizzle of snow. The rest cloaked up also and followed Mitch as he walked off to a huge cliff of vertical ice. Inside the ice, was a frozen over Forerunner array. Keeping it hush-hush, they scaled the wall and got on top of the sheet. The Hornets flew over, and the Spartans crouched down and hid. Mitch pretended to be looking through some heat binoculars at the caves in the opposite direction. The Hornets flew by in a matter of seconds, so the Spartans uncloaked and rallied up to Mitch. He got a hail on his radio, it was from Jess. In a plain American she said,

"Nick's found a hard pad. It's stuck in the ice, next to some frozen sticks. We're trying to get it out now but…what was that? …*sigh* Sir, they're not sticks they're fingers. We have UNSC here. Five by the looks of the sticks and fabric rocks, if you get what I mean."

Mitch cursed and ordered them to pull out. He then issued a team of Marines to go in there and find out what was in the cave. Reluctantly they did, and found the same thing Nick and Jess did. Mitch smirked and thought of their naiveté. Surely they saw the Spartan footprints?

"No, they didn't, if you're wodnering sir. We're equipped with modified boots sir. Helps divert mass not to just one area, but everywhere." Jess said. She and Nick had found a shortcut up the ice, and rejoined the group of Spartans. Nick put a foot out, and small metal plates shot out from the front, back, and sides of the shoes. He then retraced his foot and they disappeared. Mitch nodded in approval, before telling his team to drill a hole in the ice and explore underneath them. He then jumped off the ice and ran to the set-up. A forklift was moving some equipment slowly past the snow build-up. A Mantis was stationed in front of a cave just as a team of Marines ran out shouting that they found bodies. Mitch listened in with a feign of surprise and congratulated them. He then put his Battle Rifle on his back and ordered the Mantis to burn out the cave. Anything that survived was to be brought back to Mitch.

"Yes sir Commander Emachi!" one yelled. She jumped up onto the Mantis and climbed it, only to knock onto it's driver's door. The man got out sipping some coffee from a futuristic thermos. He spit it out when she told him the orders. Reluctantly he got back in, fired up the Mantis and aimed the Flamethrower at the black cave. Mitch heard the hiss of gas, and then his visor was swarmed by an orange flare of fire as the flames jumped into the cave. _This place was going to be a fucking jigsaw puzzle _Mitch thought to himself.

…

Cotton stabbed a Kings guard through the chest, uplifting the man and tossing him away. It growled as it got back up, shields regenerating while it's wound bled out profusely. Snarling it charged Cotton and he masterfully sliced horizontally, sending one half over his head and the other half of the body crumpling to his feet. Atario fired a rocket that smashed into a cluster of Kings Guard and they were blown back into a larger inferno of green color. They screamed in searing pain, yells being drowned out by the large walking tank that tore a hole into the shelter and climbed through. The tank barrel blasted into a swarm of Sylph Marines. A charred hole was left at the site of the battle, with the pungent smell of thick smoke and death creeping into the Chief's nose. He jumped over the tank by boosting on it's leg, and jumped inside. Firing an SMG into a driver's face while stabbing another up the chin- he pushed away their bodies with a firm and large arm- only to uncomfortably control the tank to trample away at the King Guard as they jumped through the shattered glass skylights. The wreckage of the Hive-King's Battlecraft was smoking and blazing in the sky as it slowly careened towards the sea- debris falling from it and crashing down to drown in the vast depths of the water surrounding Plymouth.

The Chief drove the walking tank over some Kings guard before ramming the tank into the wall. Getting out slowly, he ducked when a green rocket flew over his head and crashed down onto the top of the tank, burying him inside. Atario, clad in black and orange armor- head-butted a Kings Guard and then stabbed another in it's back as it was turned. Slowly drawing his longsword, the blade of energy was wielded by one gloved four-fingered hand. He swung it upwards with a powerful arm, muscles rippling as the blade ate through the shields and armor, eventually flesh and bone, of an unfortunate Kings Guard in the way of the submerge console. The large computer screen blinked orange and reverted back to it's bland white with red text over and over, electricity fizzing from a small puncture in it's mechanical stand. Driving the blade forwards he growled. The blade was stabbed right through two Kings Guard, and they were tossed away- bodies sliding off the blade with a rough hiss and crackle. Cotton drew his shorter sword and tossed it to Atario.

Grabbing it, dual wielding the two blades of energy, Atario hacked away with a green sword and a blue sword, slicing the life out of the creatures struggling for survival in this cage match in the sky. A hand was shot out from the pile of hot metal and building block, but some larger rubble drove it back downwards as they rolled down the hill of debris. The Chief struggles to escape as the metallic building material slipped underneath his feet, or his grip was lost due to the extreme slippery-ness of Plymouth's infrastructure.

Atario grimaced when he saw a heavily armored Kings Guard basting away at his comrades- grunting as he lifted the thing with both swords and shoved the creature forwards. He swung with both swords at some debris that fell from the weak ceiling, it being sliced in two and harmlessly falling to the side of his body. Charging ever onwards he spun and slashed, kicking and stabbing at the waves of Kings Guard rappelling or jumping in. The Shelter was full of Sylpharians who didn't fight and did fight as a job- both types shooting and melee'ing for their lives in this bloodbath. Cotton reloaded a Nareesi Assault Rifle and tossed the heated clip to the side, where plenty of other magazines steamed.

The Chief managed to get his head though the rubble and he climbed downwards. The tank exploded then, sending him flying forwards at a wreck of dangerous support cables ticking out at him. He thruster boosted at them and smashed through only to roll and land on the floor painfully.

"Chief! …John!" Cortana cried out. She sighed in relief but cringed when a twang of deep pain shot through her coding. Ignoring it, she encouraged the Chief to get up as there was still a battle to be won. Snarling the Chief stood proudly and upper-cut'ed a Kings guard trying to stab him with a bayonet attached to his rifle. It lurched backwards but brought it's strong body to it's original position, shoving the bayonet forwards. The Chief side-stepped and bumped into Atario. The Sylph jumped into the air and slammed down on the Kings Guard with both swords. Not even glancing at the smoking and stinking corpse, Atario limped away to the console. The Chief snapped the Bayonet off, while also readying his combat knife for a charge. He was about to follow atario when a heavily armored Kings Guard in a Mech suit swiped at him.

"Woah there! The bigger they are the harder they fall. Aim for the legs, agh! Unnnnn, go John! What are you ARH waiting for?!" Cortana remarked. She clenched her teeth and tried to fight off the very thing that was unavoidable.

The Chief flung the Bayonet tip at the less armored face-mask of the Insectanoid. It broke the shielding, but didn't kill. Dodging the large hands of the mech The Chief put a foot on the Mech's torso area and jumped backwards, while also grabbing the thing by it's shoulders and dragging it down. Rolling away from the behemoth, the Chief spun it around and stabbed the knife into the pilot's face helmet. It howled in pain and slammed the ground with both fists, writhing underneath The Chief. At the same time a loud noise in a female Sylpharian voice informed the entire area that Plymouth was about to plunge itself into the sea. Shelter doors opened up and sylphs ran inside while the Kings Guard struggled to leave. Atario smiled inside as he spun the swords around in his hands, before destroying the console with a primal yell. Cotton was leading men inside a double-door'ed shelter, before urging The Chief to hop in. The Chief's stomach seemed to be floating upwards as Plymouth fell. The Battlecraft above was incredibly dangerously tipping it's front forwards into the sea, slowly falling in. Plymouth kept falling, the sight getter farther and farther away.

"Let's go!" Cotton yelled. The chief ran in the Shelter. He looked out and saw Atario push Cotton in. Behind Atario was a huge Insectanoid in a Mech Suit. It was lethally challenging Atario. He tossed Cotton back his sword and smiled as he shut the doors. Cotton screamed in protest and the Chief tried to force them to open. Through the porthole a flash of green light came up, and then water flooded the room.

...

"Systems being replenished sir! We ahve full control of our ship again, it's like she's brand new!"

"Then why the heck are the Elites running away?"

The _Native _was flanking the Levine as they both flew towards the Elite fleet. Forwards thrust increasing with the energy being poured back into the Frigate, the Native sped up along with the Levine. It seemed to be an odd form of smooth sailing until something shut down the two ships altogether. People were thrown frowards painfully as the abrupt halt was encouraged by the work of the Artificial Gravity increase. Captain Mona was sent sprwaling over a large console in the observation deck. She was a medium height woman with dark red-black hair that was hidden underneath her captain's hat. Her eyes were light blue, and her face was very gorgeous. Her arms were bracing herself on the console as she struggled to regain herself after the abrupt halt. Shaking her head she slowly arched her back upwards, the grey uniform she was wearing creasing up at her back. With her bottom pointed outwards and being defined with her stretch, she made a noise of distress and confusion and pushed her pelvis forwards, while also standing and fixing any wrinkles on ehr sleeves. Chuckling a bit, the man behind her got up painfully from his position next to her butt. He had been thrown forwards and banged his head onto the same console. He woke up to a nice sight though, the ripe bottom of Captain Mona.

"Lieutenant Charles! Status assessment!" she commanded. Mona was in her early forties, and Charles was a boy of 22. He was slightly shorter than her, with a crew cut top of golden hair and brown eyes. Charles was a pale soldier with a knack for getting in trouble or never going outside. He was usually stuck to his console all day, networking and jockey'ing back and forth between Communications or Entertainment systems. Mona once woke up and listened to his boy-ish voice over the PA system trying to act like a radioman. Charles had been assigned to this ship thinking hat he would just be floating up in the sky or space and giving support when he could. In truth it turned out to be a jo of bein a man-slave to the total MILF/Cougar captain. Charles was smitten with her, and was glad to please- however Mona thought she was more of a stern mother with him. The two were close, but not as close as the crew thought...or chose not to think.

"Well ma'am, looks like all systems are running just not RUNNING." Charles responded wincing as the blood on his forehead fell in heavy drops to the glass floor. Mona noticed this and wiped some off, smearing the blood al over his palm. She raised an eyebrow and indifferently told him to get some medical help. Winking he left the deck, leaving Mona to speak with the technicians aboard the ship. She was about to strut out, when a loud female voice with a cold precision politely said,

"Ah! Humans, I aggressively suggest that you do not pursue the unidentified sentient beings that outnumber you immensely. I detected your presence, and it is my duty as ordered by the Librarian, to protect and defend you. Odd, those beings were not of my own kin nor of any faction that was known to us. However I did recognize their species...a most creative and dangerous assortment. We used the small ones as play-toys with out children."

Mona thought of what she was talking about, until the picture of a Grunt popped up in her mind and a smile crept onto her shocked face.

"That was a jest, to brighten the mood. My systems seem to be running normally now. The Librarian managed to take over control of a shield world and gave me the pedestal of protection- to defend this planet from her husband and his Prometheans. I hope this does ring a bell, as you say...oh what am I thinking they're probably horrified and confused. Come. Let me explain everything."

A second gap opened up slowly on the planet. Inside was a bright abyss of light- and the particles of space and matter were sucked in. First was the Destroyer, much to Walker's surprise and the arbiter's confusion. Then when the Prowler, spinning in space as it was dragged inside. Mona ran from the observation deck. She was never a great runner, she was made more for swimming- her time at Reach's Wet Navy proved that. But this was more important now. Crewmen were trying to find somewhere to grab onto or stay safe as the ship rocked and was tugged backwards. Mona fell with a gasp, only to be picked up by none other than Charles, with a red-stained bandage on his head and accelerated meds in his body. She thanked him but then stumbled as the Levine nudged against the Native. Charles fell backwards and she landed onto him, legs on either side. There was no time for jokes or embarrassment though, as the planet sucked the remaining human fleet in and attempted to shut it's opening.

"Oh, this seems to be an issue. Are you holding some of the Sangheli or Kig Yar captive? They appear to be inside your ships...most dissatisfying. Oh well, I expect with you space-travel knowledge you're not a dim-witted bunch, as you say. Can you hear me okay?! MAYBE IF I SHOUT okay that's not going to work. It's the rumble of metal striking the atmosphere thats drowning me out. DON'T WORRY YOU'LL BE FINE! DON'T GO OUTSIDE THOUGH!"

...

Stalin groaned when he heard about Fireteam Voyager. the bodies had been returned and hostile alien life was right underneath them. What else did this world provide? Cutter wa back on his own ship, it was learning to walk on it's feet again. the ship was slowly rising from it's home. To help there were smaller ship pulling the Spirit upwards via cables, however they weren't doing much. Stalin wanted a call from the base camp about how they were holding up. HAd the Covenant come? did they kill everyone? He suddenly felt bad about leaving such a small force to the unpredictable hands of the loose truce with the Elites. Hopefully they were doing okay.

"Admiral, sir. This is Serena from the Spirit of Fire. I don't know if you've noticed but are there any strange geographical shifts happening to your hologram topography mapping?" Serena asked with a coy smile. Stalin spun his head to the map in the back, and saw how large hills and plains were moving at a surprisingly fast rate.

"Earthquake?!" Stalin asked. Hugh came up and chuckled. He then however went serious and surveyed the situation intently. with grim eyes he responded,

"No sir. Looks like this planet is re-arranging parts to open something. A gate perhaps."

Serena agreed, and Cutter's face appeared next to her small bubble in the flat-screen monitor in front of Stalin. He looked like he knew what was going on, and screamed out-

"Move! Go! The Shield World is opening something! It's letting something in!"

After that a faint whispering was heard everywhere. It was felt as well as heard. Tingles went through everyone and the AI's seemed to be looking around frightened and confused. The in comprehensible whispering turned to understandable english words. They sounded like a woman's, and thats when the bright yellow flashes came.

"Ah! More humans! I am amazed at how blind I can be when monitoring things elsewhere! Wow you seem to be everywhere, colonizing down here and floating up there! Wait a moment...I've seen that thing before. It landed some time ago...interesting that it's now flying. I thought it was barren. How will I ever become as amazing as my mistress? Nevermind then! Seems like there was a tussle between my pond friends and you. I deeply regret not forcing them deeper underground to the seas. Please, it is safe now and you should rest here. Ugh, look at how natural events can make something as clear as fresh water seemingly invisible."

A large Forerunner type structure was shot upwards from underneath the Spirit. It wasn't a valley that the Spirrit landed in, it was a grown over Tower with a flat top. The huge tower's flat tip met the Spirit's and pushed it upwards as the clunk of metal and sparks rained from the dies to the ground. the smaller craft escaped the path of the accelerated Spirit, and with a boost the colony ship was in the air again! The Tower stopped growing, and underneath the formation of a foundation was being constructed from out of thin air. Stalin gasped and left his jaw down in sheer amazement. Everyone was, including the AI's.

"This seems more suitable now! I plead with you, dock and rest. No one likes to remain in the sky forever. Leave that to the ones naturally gifted with flight."

The Tower hummed and then shot out a bolt of blue light that flew through the spirit and disappeared into the sky. That's when the massive Forerunner ship that looked like an Angel- came down slowly. Eventually it blocked out all site of the clear sky, leaving only a rough and grizzly looking hull of a rounded hull that had an assortment of purple or yellow lights on it.

"Serena...launch Pods. Looks like we're going to be staying here for a while." Cutter remarked with a loud, tired sigh.


	33. Chapter 33: Big Talk

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 33: Big Talk

Vercetti swerved the car onto the much more crowded street, flawlessly parking it between two other vehicles. At mind-boggling speed the doors opened and shut immediately, and somehow Richard had been dragged out by the Purple Goals. They sure had experience with this stuff, getting out of cars quickly included. Tyson stretched and gestured for Sapphire to Richard. The bald man waved for him to follow while Vercetti got out an authentic cigarette and started puffing out actual smoke, instead of the steam ones many people used in the current day and age. Vercetti winked and blew an "O" of smoke at Richard. He waved it away and walked off with Sapphire.

The city was absolutely stunning at night. It was like Neo-Tokyo except a bit grungier and smaller. Huge lights and flashes were everywhere, folks of any social class were out and about enjoying the night life. Richard recognized one Restaurant, which had a huge building next to it, all the way at the end of the buildings were Apartment complexes and Towers that reached the clouds. Picking up his pace, Richard met up with Sapphire and the two came up onto the ICE DEN. The same smooth-looking guy from before flashed a perfect white smile at the both of them. The two walked in and met Lord Gold, who was speaking with the indifferent and almost bland Barkeep with the huge Russian hat. She saw Richard and said something inaudible to Lord Gold, he spun around and laughed loudly.

"Kid, you're alive! Jare-bear said he dropped you off, and he usually parks somewhere close by to see if the new guys or girls run. You got a positive review, and Rantho called to tell me you fought like a psychopath. Good job kid, you make me proud. Jare's gone to fetch your suit, you'll be running with the 'Goals from now on. Speak with Natasha, and then come to the VIP room. You'll be briefed on your next job that'll be coming up in a few days. Until then, just chill out and get some rest. Ranthi's hooked you up with his old apartment, real nice place that looks over the park. Once again, good FUCKING job kid. We need more guys like you." he laughed.

Richard blushed and nodded his head with every word. He felt proud, but at the same time he was breaking down inside. He had just killed people! But it felt…oddly natural to him. That's when he remembered his job.

"Excuse me, Lord Gold- this isn't a permanent job sir. I need information from Johnny. Did…did you get any news about him?" Richard politely asked. Lord Gold took a sip of his drink and set the glass cup down gently. He pierced Richard with his almost knife-like gaze and responded,

"I know kid. I know. I'm here to help you, not enslave you. We'll talk in the VIP room. Right now, talk to Nat get some rest, dance a little! Hehe…it's good to know that I knew a kid like you in my lifetime. His name was Rantho, and he was a complete brat. Look how he turned out now."

Lord Gold gestured to the door and sure enough Tyson and Lord Vercetti walked through the doors with their suits on. Vercetti had a skimpily dressed brunette at his right and was nuzzling her ear and whispering stuff. Tyson smiled at Natalie and she showed some emotion by blushing and waving back. The two went into the dance floor, only to run out shivering. Natalie tossed the three of them some large coats under the counter and they thanked her. Richard saw Vercetti lightly bite down on his girl's neck, and her loud shriek of laughter that followed. Sapphire tooka sip of a drink he ordered and walked in after them.

"Pretty good, I'd say." Richard responded. Lord Gold stood up and tilted his head sharply. His Black Lion guards smiled at the joke and escorted the man to the dance floor. Richard spun around to Natalie and he took a seat on the ice stool. She blinked and sighed.

"Well…Natasha. I guess you're telling me the scoop?" Richard asked. She sighed again in boredom and put a photo onto the table. Around them, bar-goer's were having fun drinking and flirting, no one noticed the picture of the little girl that Natalie slid onto the table.

"This is Kaitlen. She's six years old, and is Don Quote's granddaughter. He loves his daughter and her children, and to see one go would break his heart. Shattering his resolve means less heat on The Line, until he eventually pounds us harder with anger and grief. We'll be ready though. Beck's Tower is safe, as well as Beck's Rock. However the night patrol of Shine Street is getting corrupted. Smaller business owners are getting targeted. First, beat off the thugs terrorizing Shine Street. Then, in a few days you'll go an get Kaitlen. She'll be in a limestone that belongs to Quote's daughter Melissa. She's widowed, and cares immensely for Kaitlen."

Richard backed up a bit, panicking.

"Waitwaitwait, what?! You want me to kidnap a little girl?!"

Natasha moved forwards and put her face right up to Richard's/ He could smell her nice scent, and her mint scented mouth said,

"Chill the fuck out new guy! It's not like you're going to murder her! Jared has a spot all set up, she'll be in good hands. My hands. Grow a pair and do your job if you want that precious information."

Richard gulped and nodded back. She retreated and got out a cup as a couple walked to the bar. Smiling she asked what they would like. Richard ignored the scents of hot chocolate and focused on his task. It was time to speak with Lord Gold in the VIP room. Asking for a coat from Natasha, and getting a huge grey one thrown at him, he put it on and went inside the dance floor. Multicolored lights and lasers were shot at the ceiling as the lights below flickered different colors slowly. DJ SourApple shouted something and the crowd cheered as snow was shot from the small cannons in the corners above and into the crowd. Everyone burred but continued to grope, shimmy, and dance with each other. Passing a dark corner of the room where a woman who was leaning over a circular table was gasping out moans as a man behind her would thrust at her bottom and a slapping sound was heard. He ignored the sight and went on to the DJ booth. SourApple smiled at him, and Richard walked past the man to the VIP room where some Black Lions tightened their lips and let him in. Lord Gold was on a chair, a red-headed woman bobbing her head up and down onto his lap as he guided her head downwards with one hand. He saw Richard and acted like she wasn't even there.

"Hey hey hey kid! Alright, take a seat. Ough yeeeeeeeeah." Gold yelped as he ejaculated. The woman backed off from his lap and wiped her mouth. She was panting and smiled a bright and perfect smile at Richard. He carefully waved back with a bewildered look on his face. Gold zipped up his pants and gestured to a soft chair on the far left of him. Richard took a seat and leaned forwards.

"Alright…Johnny's on the move. We think he's going to The Line and will be staying in one of Quote's hotels in a week. Why? I dunno. Felicia, do your job dear."

The red-haired woman seductively smiled and went to Richard's knees. He was frozen in place as she unzipped his trousers and opened up the hole in his red boxers. He finally made a move and tried to push her away but her soft and silky mouth clamped down around his hard member and began to slurp his penis. Saliva slowly dripped down his fat head and fell onto his lap, as her lips caressed his member and her tongue explored his slit and sensitive dick. Lightly stomping his leg he came into her mouth and pulled her face forwards to his pelvis. She moaned something that Richard didn't understand, he was lost in his lust for her. Jerking her away she put a hand to his wet and slick penis and began stroking him off, letting the extra semen dribble out of his head's slit and fall onto her hand. She spit out some cum onto the floor, the rest she had swallowed. Lord Gold had gotten up and poured a drink for himself. He asked about Kaitlen and that woke Richard up from his daze.

"Oh, uh, right- arh! I don- ooooh, I don't know sir. Unmph!" the last of Richard's semen came out in a white gob that landed onto the red-head's nose and lips. She squealed a bit but wiped it off and licked it off her hand. Backing away from his lap she went to the bathroom to clean up. Richard hastily zipped up his pants and got up.

"Relax kid. The 'Goals will be with you. They're not cold killers, they have hearts. Tough to say, but Don Quote's gots a fucking heart underneath all that greed and evil. He cares for his kid, and her kids. We sting him, and sting him good with the kidnapping. Natasha has experience caring for little kids, she has three younger sisters. It's a great plan. Gt some rest and be ready. Vercetti will drive you to your apartment. Good luck with your quest kid. We'll nail Johnny. But not before taking out Quote."

Richard walked out of the VIP room with wobbly legs. Lord Gold however deeply sighed and took a sip of his drink. He got a phone from one of his Black Lion guards and dialed a number.

"What, goldfish?"

"…Hey, Spiderman."

"*dry laugh* And what does the mighty Lord Gold want with this old Spider?"

"…Help." Lord Gold responded with a teary voice. The man on the other side was silent for a while before he spoke,

"The South's hell man. We need fucking law here. Me and my spiders…we're all that can do any good here. What help can the South provide you?"

"Don't give me that crap Spidey! The South still had a King. YOU. You're the King down there. I'll get some guys, we'll help you clear out the fighting. Don Quote is moving fast man. This new kid…he's fucking Beck incarnate. The Old Kings knew this would happen, and they delivered a savior. Please…unite the South and the Line. We're going to need all the help we can get brother."

"…I'll see what I can do. You owe me for this goldfish, *sigh* …Brother."


	34. Chapter 34: BOOM! Fucking, geology

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 34: BOOM! Fucking- geology.

Sergeant Major Kelsey stomped through the base with her advanced Juggernaut Spartan Suit. The men and women around the base quickly adopted the name for these suits: Max Gear. Kelsey was clad in her Max Gear and headed for the Air Pad. Fireteam Octavia was ordered to defend the base, but Sentry duty went to the Marines. However they appeared to be slacking, based on the reports of the Pad Crew. She was going up there to see what was slacking them up and compromising the Security of the base. Holding an Assault Rifle, the young woman would put a heavy foot clad in thick armor down onto the metal floor of the base. Most of the residents were soldiers, so not much work went around other than looking at the sky and taking readings every day. The Command Center was a Communications Tower next to the base's twin Reactors. It stood high above the other buildings, non-military personnel always working to add more Turrets or reinforce the troops. There was enough gear and surface-to-air missiles to satisfy Kelsey, so she commanded for the Marines to take leisure time at their own pace, but the Spartans and active duty shift Marines to always remain on guard.

"Deely, what's happening?" she asked over the radio. A skinny arm clad in heavy armor went up to her large helmet and pressed the inter-radio connected to her helmet. Her vision was green, due to the green color of her Soldier visor- and her armor was orange. Underneath however, was a lightly built young woman with blond hair and pale skin. A secret to everyone, was that she didn't cut her hair and keep it to regulation standards. Despite her extra obedience and order conditioning when she was chosen to become part of the Spartan-IV program, she still loved her golden hair. It was now spiked out and wild looking. She looked more of a punk than a soldier, but she didn't care. And frankly, if anyone asked- no one messes with a Spartan. The Marines regarded the Spartans as heavy equipment, not human beings. However the view of the Spartans on the Marines changed a bit. They were walking, talking, weapons of destruction and carnage. Envy was for children, admiration was for adults. The ODST's respected the Spartans, and the Spartans themselves weren't snobby or suffered from a superiority complex. John-117 was quoted as to saying that there wasn't much difference between a Marine and a Spartan in his eyes. Still, she got the strange eye from normal humans and the evil eye from jealous twits.

"*sigh* We caught some troops compromising each other- put the damn thing away already!" A zipper was heard in the background, "Everything's clear though. Just a couple spending time together on their shift. Hey! Commander's coming up here, might wanna cover up your girl? Thanks."

Deely was one of Kelsey's trusted Officers. He was leader of Fireteam Octavia, and a damned good one also. Everyone liked his personality and can-do attitude. Instead of curse out or even assault Deely when he made a remark, his being played it off like a childish joke and he apologized immediately afterwards. Kelsey caught him saying sorry to a Marine who bumped into him and dropped his bag full of contraband pornography magazines. Still, as payment Deely nicked one of them after Kelsey left- much to her anger after he apologized for taking it a few minutes later. He was a man of a mixed European descent, with dark black hair and blue eyes. He was taller than Kelsey, and he hd a good build to him. However his handsomeness was replaced with scars from battle. Kelsey only imagined how gorgeous he was before joining the Military. Deely was trained to be specially equipped with Aircraft knowledge. So he spent most of his time at the Air Pad looking at things and bugging the utter shit out of the Technicians. He was a pilot not an Engineer, but he learned a lot from his constant badgering. Kelsey had reached a grated elevator and joined some Marines inside of it.

"Sir."

"Ma'am."

They replied. She nodded at them and crossed her arms. The large metal armor grating against itself with her actions. Kelsey's hair was getting hot, so she reached up and took off her helmet. Her head was puny compared to the large armor she was wearing. With the extra height from the Armor she dwarfed the two Marines. Her hair-do flowed out from under her helmet, and she took a hand to spike out the blunt ends a bit. Kelsey was an absolute beauty. She was only 27, but still looked like a teenager. She had a round face with womanly cheekbones, a good nose, and dark skin on her face which emphasized her clear blue eyes. Kelsey looked out to the grate, the lightly colored scar on the bottom of her right cheek being displayed with her head's angle. Her lips were clasped together, and they looked almost childish with her consatn look of determination and innocence.

"How much more longer commander? They're whispering dirty things to each other's ears."

The faint sounds of laughter were heard in the background and Deely chuckled himself. He spun around and saw Kelsey stomping out of the elevator with her Max Gear. She put her AR onto the back and approached Deely. He was in a variety of armor all colored light-blue. He had a Warmaster helmet on with a red visor. A bit frightening for such a gentle guy. Kelsey saw the Marines in the back, lounging on some Air Pad crates. They stood up and saluted when she came by.

"Listen up you two. The base is supposed to have the best eyes guarding it's skies. You're here to yell when we fire the missiles, not fuck and endanger the base. Admiral Stalin will have your hides if this happens again. Understood?" she ordered. The two Marines stared at her, eyes wide and jaws open. They didn't give a response back.

"I said-"

"Sergeant Major…what is that?!" Deely shouted. The huge shadow fell over the base and Kelsey looked up. Kilometers away, a mountain was opening up and pulsing energy and lighting. From the mountains came UNSC vessels. A Destroyer, a few Frigates, and even a Prowler. They all stopped at a Forerunner Building that sprouted from the ground. It towered over all the UNSC ships, and what looked to be a docking area was created from the shifting parts of the Forerunner Tower. The Destroyer was forcibly docked and the Frigates were attached to the Destroyer. The Prowler remained floating until a claw-thing grabbed it and slowly dragged it towards the Tower. Everyone was speechless, and some dumbass decided to blare the base alarms at full volume. Everyone began panicking and Kelsey ordered Deely to follow her. The two ran to the edge and she jumped off. The Jet pack on her Max Gear activated and she softly landed onto the ground. Deely landed close to her and stood up from his crouch.

"Prep a 'hog! Rocket. I want a Convoy with me, Marines and Heavy Armor! Air support stay here! MOVE!" Kelsey shouted.


	35. Chapter 35: Michael Jackson's: Filler

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 35: This is a Filleeer! Filler yeah yeeeah

Cutter signed some papers and drank some coffee. No use going into depth what they were for, who cared? If you must know, he was authorizing the use of Cyclops Units. Something he rarely did, seeing how expensive and few there were. Compared to Mantis's these UNSC HRUNTING Mark III [B] Exoskeleton Models were extremely equal in mobility and strength than the Mantis's slow movement but heavy firepower. The drivers were set up, and they were loaded into Elephants. Below, Pods for Zulu Base were flying down, carrying Firebase components. Landing in turn and locking the components in place the base was taking shape. He smacked his lips and asked Serena for some music, fitting for the occasion. Smirking she started to fire out Japanese death metal, and Cutter spat out his coffee, the liquids fizzing through Serena's hologram. Stumbling around he found the stereo system and shut the music off. Finding the wires connecting her console to the system he pulled out the cord and got up.

"Try that again, I dare you." he sneered. Fixing his cap, Cutter sighed and looked at the window in his bridge. Crewmen were standing at the far end, clicking away at mechanical gizmos and consoles. A few were on PC units, rummaging around the network and databases, trying to find something that connected the Forerunner building to whatever they witnessed at the Shield world.

"Message Commander…apparently Dr. Fitzgerald from Admiral Stalin's ship is hailing us."

"Let's see what he's got to say." Cutter said, a concerned look in his tired eyes staring back at him. His reflection in the window was making chills go up his spine, he did not know why. The taste of the hot drink was still on his tongue, it was setting in and getting sweeter. Turning around to the screen near him, the face of a man in his early fifties came on. He had bright blue eyes, gray and white hairs mixed with dark brown growing on his shin and neck, while his hair was combed back and neatly cut. Cutter sat down and nodded his head at the man, the glint of the light from his white lab coat splitting the image of his shoulder a tiny bit.

"Hello! I'm Dr. Fitzgerald, Admiral Stalin wanted me to catch you up with the recent Forerunner findings we've gotten over the years you were…well suspected of being dead. I hope you aren't offended."

Halfway through his statement he had turned around and his back was to Cutter, the light-black UNSC lettering and eagle wings shuffling in front of Cutter's face. He blinked a bit, and his tight demeanor loosened up a little. _Another one of these types, eh? _Cutter though to himself.

Pulling out a medium sized cube with a black lid, he set it on his desk, and the loud thud of the heavy material was echoed through Dr. Fitzgerald's lab, which funny enough, looked like an actual damn laboratory where research was, not various machines that created drinks or printed out copies of text documents were to be, as Dr. Anders enjoyed having. As if on cue, she walked into the Bridge, this time switching her pants out for some dark green ones, but she wore a lab coat over her orange shirt however. Glancing at the Bridge she ignored the various crewmen and their work, walking right up to Serena. The two exchanged feigned looks of pleasure, and she rolled her eyes and pursed her lips in annoyance once she was sure Serene couldn't see. Getting to Cutter she set down a small folder she was holding right onto his table, and watched the video feed herself.

"Anyways, this is the motherload. Something absolutely mind-boggling went down a few years ago, apparently the UNSC was scouting some stray asteroids near Synthe-2. We thought it was just rubble from the destruction of it's moon, but we were wrong!"

Fitzgerald opened the box and pulled out large fragments of gilded metal, resembling the shiny and silvery Forerunner building material that the structures were created from. Inside were hexagonal patterning that was cut off at various sides or melted into itself. The blacker inside contrasted the silver outside, and Fitzgerald wiped a fragment with a clothe before setting it down next to the others. Cutter leaned closer to the video feed, only to yelp and jump back when it fell and showed the half-completed android of Gan. Fitzgerald swiftly picked up the camera and set it up farther from the edge.

"Sorry honey! Cable five just went bluegh! And slipped out. Might want to fix that soon, dear, I can't move my left optical receptor."

"Sorry for that! Hopefully I can cut that off, but I'm no video editing wizard, hehe. Sorry! Anyway, look at this stuff!"

He closed u the camera onto the various fragments, pointing out special things, mostly the remnants of designs or darker areas that were frozen in place- despite being melted. Pulling the camera back he flipped it around and a close-up of his eyes were seen, his hand reaching out and glorifying the artifacts behind him. Occasionally a glimpse of Gan would be seen, an area where a cable hooked up to her back was fizzing and emitting bright yellow sparks.

"We're sending some boxes over to you, I have tons! Hopefully your ships' doctor can figure some thing's out while the Mistress is silent." he joked.

The Mistress was another name given to the woman who was heard everywhere. She was silent now, had been for a few days. Any attempt made to land troops on the Forerunner Tower or try to properly dock, were rejected with the appearance of an invisible shield or the Tower reforming around opening that could house a few Pelicans, maybe even an Albatross and it's supplies. Cutter had been setting up bases at the various points that were not covered by a shield. Firebases were mining and using things they found on the Tower as resources. One area slanted downwards, almost like it was a door. A single console with a rotating ball were seen in front of the door, but it aggravated anyone as the invisible shield would come up just as they neared the console.

"Good luck! Maybe you can come over for a playdate?" he joked, chuckling aloud. However before the video ended Cutter heard a mumble that sounded like: "Why would I say that? _Stupid_."

Anders stood up and ran for the Hangar deck, expecting the Pelican loaded with the boxes to land sometime soon. Serene neglected to inform her that it had arrived before Cutter viewed the video, so it would be comical to see her wait in the Hangar Bay for a delivery that ha already came. Cutter rubbed his eyes, dark bags were appearing under them. His face was also getting hairier, and he intended to get some more rest and better hygiene when they actually entered the tower. He looked at Serena and gave her a quizzing gaze. She seemed to be lost in thought, staring at him but not recognizing his presence. Quickly awaking herself she apologized to Cutter and brought her hands up to her chest, crossing them. Losing any hint of sarcasm she blurted out,

"Commander, Anders is a very intelligent girl, why can't she make an Android like Fitzgerald. It looks like it can work perfectly fine if it just ad some tweaks and more time spent to it."

"Serena…you know you can't leave the ship. Quit thinking so much and get to work already. I need your head in the game if we're ever going to find a way in this damn needle."

The AI's hologram disappeared after she bowed her head ever so slightly. Cutter sighed and asked for a status report of Admiral Stalin from one of his crewmen. He looked back to his papers regarding the usage of Spartans and Cyclops's, as well as Ander's own modified Aircraft or Forge's hell-driven creations of destruction. Shaking his head from side to side, a smirk appeared on his lips, unbeknownst to everyone.

This was going somewhere, where? He hoped someplace better.


	36. Chapter 36: Wheel in the sky

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 36: Wheel in the sky keeps on turning

"Argh…hah…well, I think we'll be penetrating the surface of the, ugh, water any second now." Cortana remarked. John looked away from the window of the Shelter and saw the Nareesi behind him putting on Aquatic gear and charging up machinery used underwater. A huge cylindrical turbine with handles and seats was turned on with a hum. Cotton, looking angry and in grief, fastened up his air-tight suit and put the see-through mask onto his face, letting the fibers from the mask reach out in silent whirring to connect with the throat of his armored suit. Hissing slightly, the rest of the Sylpharian troops patted each other to check if they were good to go. Cotton turned to the Chief and gave him a look."

"I think you're going to be needing some more gear on other than the Mjolnir suit Chief." Cortana said. He grunted and looked around for parts. Cotton stopped him short and handed him a mask.

"Looks like the helmet's got to go." he said with hints of anxiety in his voice. John snatched the helmet and took off his own. His face was frightening almost to Cotton, but the orange visor of the helmet came onto John's face and the mask inside the helmet instinctively went up to hug The Chief's nose and mouth areas. A deep breath was taken in by John, but the exhale was never heard as Plymouth smashed into the sea and the entire base rumbled and shook. Cotton turned to his Marines and declared,

"Plymouth was built to float. Scans from before show that those mechanisms were damaged by the blood mantis vessel Freud took out. Everyone give a moment to applaud or congratulate Freud."

Applause was heard and even some whooping. Cotton then calmed down his troops and patted Freud on his blue-suited back. The air tank gave a small CLUNK! As Cotton's gloved fingers smacked into it.

"Plymouth needs to resurface, or else we are forced to abandon it. Escape craft and pods are working, and I ordered multiple evacuation crews and fire teams to operate in conditions like these. We have the advantage, we expected this. The Alien has proved hi battle-skills and will accompany my team to the Escape craft. Officers and injured go out first. Sorry folks, but I'm getting my ass off of this submerged wreckage. The rest of you, you have your orders. Repair the mechanisms and then get the hell out. Most of the ship is getting flooded, so don't lollygag…for Atario!" Cotton yelled. The Marines raised their rifles and cheered, but a rough shake simmered them down. The lights flickered a bit inside the shelter and Freud remarked,

"EMPs…they're still launching Kings' Guard down here. The fucking psychopaths!"

Cotton strutted over to Freud and grasped his shoulder, shaking the Scientist.

"Cool it soldier. You know the layout of this base inside out. Hopefully the Flagship is able to drive off most of their forces with it's defenses. That's our ticket off this planet, so those guys up thee are having it worse then us! Alien! OPEN THE DOORS."

The Chief cocked his brand new rifle and a waypoint popped up to his right. Cortana looked to have recovered some and was clutching her forehead. Shaking her head she declared,

"Getting off a huge craft before it gets destroyed? Déjà Vu eh Spartan?"

John reached for the Shelter door controls and behind him three of those Diver Propulsion Devices were being set onto the floor and grabbed by the Marines. The doors opened up in a slow hiss and water flooded the shelter room as it had flooded the main room. The Chief stepped to his side and one DPD sped past him. Then another. And finally Cotton's own, where he held out a hand to the Chief. Grabbing it he was thrust forwards into the room and the three DPD and Marines zipped forwards past the various objects floating in the water. The Chief's comm buzzed with translated voice speaking about the locations of the Mechanisms and the Escape Centers.

"The Officers and I will head to the escape Center, we need to reach the flagship above the water. We're stuck in this base, and if it keeps sinking the pressure will kill us all! Move fast!" Cotton ordered.

His DPD swerved past the other two and headed for a doorway which was lit up. The Chief turned his head to see the other DPD's and their occupants, and one soldier saluted him. They then zoomed off to an opening the ceiling and were gone from sight. Cotton was liking back at the Chief, and he nodded his masked head when John met eyes with him. After some maneuvering, the pilot declared,

"Good news, readings show that the Evac Center nearest us is still dry. Thing is, numerous bio scans show our underwater defenses and troops fighting off blood mantis's. Sir?"

Cotton deliberated for a moment, but then shot out his hand towards the direction of the Evacuation Center and commanded,

"We're going in!"

"It's going to be hot Chief. Be careful, they use advanced ballistics underwater by the looks of it. Heated rays or lasers don't work here. Ammo will be scarce, what else can go wrong?" Cortana remarked.

As if on cue, an explosion behind the DPD sent it spiraling towards a wall, where it crashed into the dry Evacuation Center. The Officer at the front died on impact, while the others including cotton and the chief were roughed up. Standing, the sounds of lasers being fired in this dry area came to the chief's ears, and he saw a large finned walking machine operated by King's Guard stepping towards some Marines badly outnumbered. Cotton was helped up by an Officer and all the crew of the DPD charged the monstrosity. Overpowering it with a sneak attack, Cotton shot the Turret gunner in his face and kicked the limp body off the LMG attached to the right shell of the Tank. He then operated it as the Walker shut down with it's drivers being dead. Firing the turret at the King's Guard , they were blown to bloody pieces by the barrage. The Chief took cover behind some debris, when he noticed water at his foot.

"I thought this area was dry unless…uh oh." Cortana said. An Officer pointed at the small opening where the DPD crashed through, and before he could yell a huge wave ripped through the hole and created an even larger opening for the water. The ocean filled up the room and the King's Guard or Sylphs who didn't pack some Aquatic gear drowned. Cotton was seen swimming to the door of the Pod Bay, along with the other Officers. The Chief followed suit and swam with them as more holes or gashes in the walls were created by the ocean. Metal bent and seemed to implode due to the pressure, and the constant creaking of the structure made cotton swim faster in fear. Reaching the door he shut it and the water stopped entering the Pod Bay. Draining the water in the room Cotton slowly fell to the floor along with The Chief. Getting up he ordered the men and women to get inside the pods and leave. Freud was heard over the radio as they climbed in.

"Sir! Do not enter the Pods!"

"What? Why?"

"Passing some empty Evacuation Bays we saw that the tubes for the Pod ejection were damaged. If you launch one of those Pods and send it flying through the tube it will probably crash into some debris on the way out and explode. Who knows if your Bay is the same?"

Cotton punched the door and then looked at The Chief. Cortana spoke up,

"sir, The chief and I will go outside to check the status of the tubes. If they're good to go, we'll think of some way to tell you."

Cotton didn't have the time to argue, as the door of the Bay was creaking from the water pressure on the other side. He stammered out,

"Okay go! Thanks for the information Freud, how are those mechanisms?"

After a bit of silence Freud replied,

"They're good to go. Plymouth should be resurfacing now, albeit very slowly. But we're having constant reports of small collapses near the Mechanism rooms. It's like something is trying to get in. We think it's the water but-"

The sound of screaming was heard from behind Freud, and he gasped in horror. Over the radio, lasers were heard as King's guard stormed the room from the ceiling. Freud screamed as he was shot in the torso multiple times. The radio then went silent. Cotton growled and looked at the inhabitants of the Bay. The chief was about to speak up, but cotton saw a vent and kicked it open. He climbed inside and said,

"You have your orders Alien. Get these men and women out of here."

An Officer spoke up on where Cotton was going.

"To make sure this base doesn't sink to the bottom of the ocean! Now shut up and get those blood mantis fiends off this planet!"

…

Swimming through the ocean, marveling at the rays of sunshine and glints of submerged metals, the atmosphere was ruined as the corpses of Sylphs and Insectanoids alike floated into view. John found a massive tube next to the Evacuation Center room and he clamped his boots onto it. Walking along it's side, Cortana scanned for any breaches or hotspots where the tube was severely damaged. The peaceful time was rudely interrupted as Plymouth crashed against something. The chief spun around and saw numerous Pods being launched into Plymouth from the half-destroyed Hive-King Craft that was taken down from Freud's cannon. It was still working apparently, despite the colossal damages. The tiny dots of DPD's were seen flying through the water towards the tubes that connected with the Evacuation Center. The Chief expertly moved around some floating debris and concealed himself in the waters. Insectanoid DPD's moved to the Tubes and the King's guard demolitions group landed onto the tubes. They started to set up charges, when The Chief jumped off from his cover and tackled one through the water. The others noticed and began firing. The Chief fired back with his Sylph weaponry, and cloudy blood began to fill the water. One went to melee with The Chief, but he blocked the punches and kicked the thing off where it landed onto some debris.

"Chief! We have to warn the others!"

Thinking quickly, The Chief grabbed onto a stationary DPD and flew it to the top of the tube, where it angled upwards towards the sky. Reaching it he went inside the tube and boosted the DPD to maximum speed where to flew down the shaft of water.

"Woah there Mer-man!" Cortana shouted as the roof of the Escape Pod was seen getting closer and closer.

The Chief put his feet onto the DPD and then jumped off of it. The water stopped the DPD from crashing into the Pod at the last second and it floated upwards slowly. The Chief climbed down onto the roof of the Pod and knocked on it three times, before Cortana managed to find the comms for Cotton's crew.

"This is Cortana, you are clear! We are currently on top of LifePod A-2. All Tubes are set! Gogogo!"

The Pod then came to life and it's roof-lights illuminated the dark shaft. The Chief put an arm up to shied himself from the bright lights, but then the bubles came along with the motion.

"Hang on Chief!" Cortana warned.

Sprawling himself onto the Pod it flew upwards through the tube and ejected out into the oceans at a deafening pace. Still it went flying through the water, and to either side were other Pods. The Chief turned around and laid his back onto the Pod as the water rushed past him. It was frightening fast and incredibly scary. Gripping the Pod's hull with his fingers he saw the sunlight get closer and closer until the Pod flew up into the air and then landed back down onto the sea. The Chief was thrown off, but quickly using his boosters and knife he managed to snag the Pod and laid on top of it as it bobbed around. The hatch in the back opened and the Sylph's sued the ladder on either side of the entrance to join the Chief on top of the Pod. The rest of the Pod's crews were doing the same. Looking up into the sky, the Chief saw the Insectanoid Blockade ships coming down over the ocean and setting up. A fleet of gunships were trying to pick up the remnants of the Hive-King's battlefront from the sea. On a garbled radio transmission The chief heard Cotton.

"Mechanisms repaired. *heavy breathing* I'm coming up with some toys!"

…

The Hive-King had fallen into a small coma after Freud's cannon tore through his ship. Most of it didn't exist anymore, and the Nareesi Evacuation had succeeded, with minor casualties because of that damned cannon they had. When he awoke he grasped for his weapons or suit, noticing that he had been stripped of most of his heavy armor after the blast. What seemed to be like lightning speed, Medics came to his side and helped him up.

(Where am I?) he asked, spitting out some sour blood from his mouth and scanning around the disheveled room he was in.

(My King, we are on the back-most portion of the ship. Most of the Bridge and it's surrounding area was caught with the fires or explosions. It was a miracle that you survived!) one Medic exclaimed, tending to the gashes on his being.

Raising a large and mighty hand he made a fist and barked for whatever men he had left to escape the ship. Apparently one side of the room was missing a wall, and through the charred wreckage the light of day could be seen. He got up and climbed up a small pile of scrap. Moving to the wall he hefted cables and machinery out of the way to reach the opening. Gasping he saw that the ship was indeed submerged in water, the front and middle already full while the back was sticking out of the water at an odd angle. The room he was in was only level to gravity because it wasn't even a room. It was alcove that connected to the other areas of the ship that had not been hit hard. A Medic came and handed him a large Scythe-like weapon. Gripping it with both hands he snarled and looked at the spot where Plymouth was before. Marveling at how it had most disappeared he commanded for a Gunship to come evacuate this end of the ship and neglect the rest.

(We will make them pay.) he grunted.


	37. Chapter 37: Paid in Full

**Halo: Return of the Hero**

Chapter 37: Paid in Full

Cotton wasn't a genius.

He was a noble born son of the Zealot Admiral. A few years of the Academy is what guaranteed him a place in battle; soldiers were necessary since the war was burning away at the funds and lives of the Nareesi. His father wasn't able to attend the ceremony. It was a short one also, a few days of prayer and a night of preparations. Once you left to war, you were not expected to come back home anytime soon. Most died before they returned to family, others came back so scarred that their life wasn't even worth living. Quo'tunn of Hy'qunn danced all night long. He indulged in drinks, and joined his friends and religious leaders in merriment. The last laugh was over, and he boarded the officers vessel that taxi'd him to the Flagship. Fantastically docked at the apex of the centra-urbantroplis it glowed with activity and majesty. Built to combat and sustain, the masterpiece was his to command. He would lead his people to victory. But now he was away from his power. He was under the sea, in a once-proud but now sunken and ruined giant. Trapped, and most likely doomed.

"C'monc'mon."

Surrounded by broken equipment and forgotten relics of when the giant resided under the sea rather than above it.

"Spirits and Ancestors give me strength!"

In a dark room, where cool water pools by his legs and drenches his suit.

"Forget this one!"

Kicking devices that have been out of use for decades, hoping one will have a working component or spark of life.

*whirr*

"…Thank you."

…

The Chief aimed at a hovering jagged black craft in the sky, blocking out the sun and casting a dark shadow onto the water. The sights lined up with it's hull, and he squeezed the handle. Something activated, and the harpoon launcher propelled itself at the craft. The missile flew through the air and left a trail of white air. Instantaneously, it exploded on impact. But not with what the chief was aiming at. From the water came a colossal vessel that looked like a Sylph aquatic battle-sub. It jumped up into the air and was shattered by the harpoon. A second later, the vessel vanished into thin air leaving only a large boom and debris falling through the air, hot metal landing into the water with hisses.

"What was that?" Cortana asked. She started to do calibrations anyways. The Chief tossed the launcher to the side and a Sylpharian Marine handed him a rifle. Suddenly water came down on them as another sub broke the surface. More and more came up, until dark blue and white colored mini-submarine vessels were outnumbering the floating pods.

"It's a rare, obsolete water craft the Sylphs used back when Plymouth used to float and sink. Where did those come from?"

"From me. It's playtime!" Cotton replied.

All of the sub's weapons mobilized. Torpedo vents opened up, and rocket launchers located in the hull opened. The Hive-King's gunship flew closer to his location, when a plethora of small one-pilot air fighters clinging to the thing's side as an air escort. The sub's all exhaled a massive cloud of gas, and then white cylinders were flying everywhere in the sky smashing into the black air escort craft and causing small grey explosions to fill the sky.

"Alien, a _very _influential man is in that Gunship. Find out who, the thing has a huge escort entourage! Hurry up."

"Cortana, anyway to get up there?"

"Ugh…give me a second Chief…uh. Sorry."

"It's okay…is there any way?"

"Just hold on John!"

"…Cortana, I'm going to need your help here."

"Yes, okay, yes there is a way. The Pods must be packing diving gear, try to make something that uses the oxygen tanks to propel you up into the sky. It's right there, I'm sure a well timed thruster boost will close the distance."

"Cortana?"

"_Yes_?"

"Thank you."

"I know."

The Chief jumped off the escape pod's hull and dived right into the water. Flying underwater like a swordfish the Chief latched onto a handle located at a submarine near his pod. He found a gap between two plates and groaned as he pulled at the hull. It tore open and let water flood into it. Suddenly the grey interior was a blue and clouded room. His lights shone on some abounded diving gear left at the bottom of a ladder leading right up to the surface. A pair of air tanks and a bendable pipe were grabbed, and the chief climbed up the ladder to reenter the luxury of sunlight on armor. He wiped the water from his damaged visor and un-spun the valves on the air tanks. The launch point was empty, just him on the sub. Taking the Sylph weapon he had, The chief aimed right at the nozzle and directed his body towards the floating gunship. It's cargo doors were open and some Kings Guard were firing down at the Nareesi Marines who escaped Plymouth with the escape craft. Cotton was firing missiles at the huge floating black aircraft, but it launched flares and was lucky enough to be missed by the non-laser guided rockets flying at it.

"Argh! Alien, what are you doing?" Cotton complained.

The gunship's front turret came to life and whirred downwards at a large orange sub, the very one cotton was in. It had a glass dome in the front that acted as a window, Cotton could be seen at a console rapidly activating holographic buttons of different symbols or color. Blasts of orange bullets smashed into the sub, making the glass crack. The Chief blew away the nozzle of the air tank and held his breath as a powerful force smashed against his chest and sent him hurtling through the air. He reached the gunship and began to descend, but a kick into the air and a thruster boost closed the distance just as expected. His hands latched onto the cargo doors and he hefted himself up into the craft, the two King's Guard firing from one side ignorant to his entrance. The gunship had a small cargo compartment with side-doors that slid open to one side. The engines and wings were all connected to that empty compartment. The mass of the gunship was it's cockpit and connected troop area. Turrets were on either side of the troop room, and the pilot's station was directly above it. The co-pilot had his station right on the nose of the gunship, where a fortified glass sphere was. The large nose-gun was mounted underneath the co-pilot's station, and the man acted as a gunner as well operating the weapons on the rest of the gunship.

"Chief, I'm reading a familiar bio-signal. We've met whoever is on this thing before."

The chief crept forwards to the Kings Guard. On, by chance, spun around to throw away an empty Rocket Launcher. It landed right into The Chief's arms. He threw it back at the taller Insectanoid and then blew the other one's head off from behind. Both bodies fell slowly out the gunship and into the sea. The Chief grasped his rifle firmly, and pushed his body against one side of the doorway. He pulled out Cortana's AI chip and inserted it into a slot larger than the chip itself. It took her some effort to open the door. Quickly retrieving her The Chief ran into the troop room. A huge fist of three fingers smashed into his visor sending him falling to the ground. His HUD was malfunctioning.

"Chief watch out!"

Cortana gasped as a long spear-head was thrust into his chest. The Chief gasped and groaned in pain. He began to wheeze as the spear was lifted out of him and thrown to the floor. Various guns were cocked and aimed right at him. His visor finally began working again, aside from the huge hole right in the center which revealed the world to him through the use of actual vision. The troop room's ceiling was red, with a cloth of threadbare black covering the pipes running along the ceiling. Then he heard the familiar voice of the masculine Hive-King.

(We meet again Outlander. Here to kill me? Well you've obviously failed in that. Just like how those Nareesi vermin have failed in exterminating us. Get up! Someone get him up!)

The chief was picked up on either shoulder by King's Guard. Their red visored helmets held no sympathy for him as blood dripped to the floor. The Hive-King was wearing nothing. The dark room cast a black spot on the areas on hi body that went in due to the way the exoskeleton was formed. His face was a quivering mass of mandibles seething at the sight of the Master Chief. Blue eyes dug into his skull, and two huge hands balled together and went at him. The blows were rough, especially with he wound. The second was strong enough to break his face, pretty hard to do to a Spartan, especially when a Mjolnir armor helmet protected it.

"Alien? What's the situation up there?" Cotton warily asked over the radio. After silence he exhaled sharply and the radio signal went dead.

(I've lost my ship. My Wife. My honor. All of it because of you and those Nareesi! This abominable war has cost my people everything! You have the nerve to help _them_?! I _saved _you from them! Lost men who ere sent into their dreaded flagship to rescue _you_! Ungrateful animal you are, you still hunt and destroy my brothers. Alas my misery does not end. My closest friends and crew perished, but not I. That laser cannon must have been your work. You will suffer as the many who lay dying on their deathbeds will. I want it's arms and legs. If it survives the amputations, make sure it doesn't survive any more.)

The gunship violently shook and was thrown to one side. Everyone flew through the room and cracked against the wall. The Hive-King grabbed the chief and then onto the other wall.

(Pilot, what was that? Get us moving!)

A frantic voice replied,

(My Lord, that was a friendly vessel that just fired against us! A whole armada of them just entered the airspace! They're not here for rescue, I just saw one destroy a Medical Craft! Oh Light! Save us!)

The gunship was hit again and it began to spiral in the air to the water below. The Chief began to black out, everything faded. Only his ears operated and they distinctively heard the radio transmission played inside the gunship before his hearing gave out to silent relief:

"I have arrived my dear!"

…

Richard sat on the concrete finish to the large potted plants that were set up outside the school. A tree was growing from out of the large metal container and it provided shade and a safe place to snoop to Richard. He was wearing some grey pants, a black windbreaker and some black glasses. Underneath his windbreaker was a purple shirt with fancy swirl designs, his uniform of the Purple Goals. The spot he was in was in front of the school building. Behind him was the roadways, where cars and people quickly jostled from one side to the other as time passed. It was 2:28 PM, and the school dismissed it's children at 2:30. Buses would leave the area first, following the road that led into the ground where the buses were parked underneath the school. It was a big building, reaching quite high up however not as much as to contend with the skyscrapers.

This was a normal lower-class to middle-class public school with a clean record and good kids. The city's gang violence did nothing to harden them, kids were sacred in the city. The Old Kings decreed that back when The Line was being created. Back when things used to be hell on earth. Richard's escape vehicle was an old model 2549 Cruiser. One of the millions of look-alikes that everyone bought nowadays. It was a four-wheeler that went fast and had a huge windshield that stretched up to connect with the hood. The engine was in the back, and two comfortable seats and dashboard system was in the front.

"Snatch the girl as she's leaving. The crowd of kids will help cover the escape. You just act cool and be the young guy taking the little girl home. She'll probably fall for it, and she's the one getting kidnapped!" Lord Sapphire had told him. Tyson agreed, but Vercetti was wary. He knew kids, and was scared that Richard would be doing this.

It was now 2:31. A few seconds later and older children were leaving. They looked to be like grade five kids with fourth graders sprinkled in with them. The girl was a first grader. The Purple Goals were on Shine Street farther down into the Line. Richard was in The North. He would get no help from the locals or any other gang family if he messed up. It was now or never. Kaitlin would get inside the limestone Melissa was in. Limestone was another name for limousine, but it was safer for the rich to say limestone. He would snatch her just as she got into the limestone, and then escape from view. Getting out of The north would be easy. Just head downwards to friendly neighborhoods. Of course if Melissa doesn't cause some havoc and alert her family's guards they'll be blocking the way to The Line, to Natasha. Suddenly, there she was. A smiling little girl with golden hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a purple shirt and a black skirt with white shoes. On her back was a flower backpack. Richard inhaled deeply. Someone called out to her from behind Richard. Kaitlin smiled a toothy smile and began to ran towards Melissa. Richard turned around and was shocked. A gorgeous woman of his age was waiting for Katilin. Melissa had long dark black hair that was curled. Green eyes, red lips, slender legs and a decent bouncy bust. She was wearing fancy high-heels, and on her right arm was a handbag. She was mesmerizing Richard so much that he didn't even grab Kaitlin. He saw a little girl step past the woman and get into the limo. Realizing his mistake he ran right towards the woman.

"How was your day at shool- what the…woahwoahwoah!" Melissa yowled.

Richard tackled her into the limousine where Katlin was sitting. She screamed in shock as Richard and Melissa wrestled on the floor until Richard got the upper hand and dragged Melissa up to sit. He shut the door and pulled out his gun.

"Shh! It's all good. We're all fine here! Tell the driver to go. _Do it_."

Teary eyed Melissa gathered herself and ordered the driver to go. She then sat back and went to protect Kaitlin, who was watching everything with awe. When he felt the limo begin to move Richard exhaled in relief and then jabbed the gun at Melissa.

"I'm here for the girl."

"You monster!"

"No you idiot I'm not going to hurt her! I would never hurt her! She's going to come with me to my friend's house, she's a nice woman who knows how to take care of little girls."

"You're putting her into a brothel?!"

"No! What are you talking about!? Where did you get that?!"

The driver called in to check if everything was alright back there.

"I dare say, is everything all right back there?" a British gentlemen asked.

"Answer him. Tell him We're fine." Richard commanded.

Melissa crept over to the electronic console and gently touched a white circle. It went green under her index finger's pressure.

"We're fine over here Brody. Just drive around for a bit."

She took her finger off the console and the circle turned color-less. The seats of the limousine were extremely comfortable. Richard felt himself sink into them. Melissa was giving him a curious stare of horror and intrigue.

"Listen, I just want the girl. You can go free once I have the girl. Kaitlin, hi I'm Richard. It' good to meet you. I didn't want us to meet like this. But sometimes things we plan don't always go accordingly."

"What's that mean?" the little girl asked, her eyes glued to the handgun.

"It means that I didn't expect for the lovely Melissa here to ruin the plan."

"Are you hinting at something, my captor?" Melissa commented.

She was wearing a low-cut shirt that revealed enough to stiffen Richard. She noticed his looks, even if his eyes were covered by his black shades.

"You know…I'm not wearing a bra."

"There is a child in the car!" Richard complained.

Melissa patted Kaitlin's head and laughed.

"Oh she won't mind. If I can do something for you, you'll leave us alone right?"

Richard stiffened up and the bulge in his pants was clearly visible. He was speechless. Melissa must have taken that for an answer because she took off her top in one swift motion, letting her breasts freely bounce and jiggle. Her nipples were hard, two pink areolas bouncing about and catching Richard's gaze. She came towards him until she was sitting right next to him. He pointed his gun to the ceiling and began to perspire. Kaitlin looked on with curiosity.

"Hang on. Kailin if Brody asks for me tell him I'm busy, tell him to take us to that park you like to go to. It's pretty far off anyways. Oh, and don't look." Melissa said.

Unzipping Richard's pants she parted his boxer's and let his member spring up. Enjoying it's features Melisa then bent down and shut her lips over his head. Richard trembled and moaned in pleasure. Then her mouth closed down onto it softly and she began to lower herself onto his member. Her head bobbed up and down onto his penis. Lips sucked at his head when she went up while her mouth and tongue sucked his shaft. His penis was guided up into her inner cheek and she wrapped her silky tongue around his penis.

"Mmmp frrrmph. Mrmph. Mrphmrphmrphmrpmh."

Richard held her held softly as he pushed up into her mouth. Her felt his head hit her throat and slide into it. She spat out saliva from the corners of her mouth when she could but she kept deep-throating his penis. Richard groaned again. She pulled off of him and went to her knees.

"Not yet." she gasped.

Putting one hand between her legs and her mouth went onto his cock again. Richard leaned back and let her slam her mouth up and down on his dick. His balls slapped her chin from under his boxers and she lapped up the saliva she spat onto his head. Jacking him with her left hand her breasts caressed the bottom of his shaft where his veins ran. His head slipped between her soft globes and she used them to massage his penis. Richard croaked out a gasp and spurted three times onto her chest. Her breasts were covered in gooey semen while her chin and neck glimmered with ejaculation. Kaitlin clapped when she saw that they were finished. Richard then pointed the gun at a surprised Melissa.

"that was great, but I need the girl or else the Line is going to get destroyed. You're coming with me too I guess. Tell your driver to take us to this address."

Melissa was fuming angry when the limousine left the North and entered into The Line. Kaitlin saw it as an adventure, while Brody was completed dumbfounded on why Melissa would want to go to this part of the City. When they stopped at Natasha's house Richard led Melissa and Kaitlin out of the limo. Brody was horrified.

"Tell Melissa's father that I have his niece and daughter with me in The Line. Lord Gold sends his regards. You tell him exactly that!"

The limo drove away at a reckless speed. Richard jabbed Melissa's back with the gun and led the two females up to Natasha's house. It was a wide building that acted as a complex for a small company. Natasha had the top-most apartment while the rest were run under her control. She had inherited the building from her father, and a job in Lord Gold's criminal underworld was a welcome change from serving drinks in a freezing cold Bar. She still does the latter, but she works in the criminal underworld also. Natasha answered her door in a thin gown, with her hair in a wild tie.

"I saw the limestone pull away pretty quickly. Also, the FUCK is Quote's daughter doing here?!"

Melissa and Natasha instantly formed a close bond, although neither knew it yet.

"Whatever, it's a sweetened deal." Richard replied.

"How so?! I know how to take care of a little girl, a grown woman is much more than that. But both? I'm not a miracle worker Richard!"

"Whatever, I owe you. Move over so they an get in."

Melissa gave Richard a look of sourness while Natasha scowled at him.

"To think I sucked his dick." Melissa said just before the door closed.

…

"The wheels on the hog go round and round, round and round, round and round. The wheels on the hog go-"

"Deely, shut up and check it out!"

Kelsey stood up from her seat in the passenger side of the Rocket Hog. Gripping the rims of the windshield with both hands her mouth fell open as she stared in awe of the massive Forerunner Tower. It neared and neared growing in sight until the god-proportionate gleaming metal cast a shadow over the ground. The Hogs were driving on dark soil now, with the darker shaded grass and weeds looking miserably puny compared to the entirety of the Forerunner obelisk. Behind her was a few Scorpion Tanks, and ten Warthogs. Two were troop transport carrying the rest of Fireteam Octavia. The convoy also had a Mammoth slowly rolling with them al the way at the end. It was hideously large against the mongoose drivers who accompanied the convoy. UNSC wheels rolled against the ground all headed in one direction, straight for the UNSC fleet Captain Walker commanded.

"…Approximately one hour until we reach the place. The scaling equipment the Mammoth is binging us will shoot us right up to those ships" Deely told her. He was driving the Hog. No one was on the rocket Launchers however. Deely turned towards her as he drove.

"You know from this angle, with the sunlight right there and the winds making that completely stupid hairstyle flow…you look bad-ass Commander."

"Thanks Deely, but don't look at my legs look at the road we're coming up on some rough trails. Find a different path for those Scorpion Tanks."

As if on cue the giant orange rock parted and crumbled to the lower areas of the road. Dark green vegetation was crushed as boulders fell onto them and stayed there in a position of defeat, the convoy rolling right past them victoriously. Behind the convoy chrome buildings sprouted up and pushed rocks or masses of dirt up from under them. The worst that happened was a rainfall of soil that got into everyone's armor and vehicles. Kelsey wiped some off her visor and sat back down, she fooled around with the GPS controls in the center of the Warthog and pinpointed a direct route to move through to reach the Tower. To it's sides were rocky mountains which hugged it's base and ran up alongside it's walls. If they took one route they would go around the entire Tower and reach an area near the middle, from there it would scaling up.

"I see what you're doing. You sure it'll be as hard as that? I mean just now our way was cleared by those Forerunner works. Maybe someone's helping us along, it's a feeling I'm getting you know?" Deely commented. He turned onto an upward ramp that ran along the side of a large hill, the path ending at the top where another route was accessible.

"Yeah, well, we'll get our answers soon enough. Those ships up there aren't empty. Maybe that Captain Walker guy will tell us what went on." Kelsey responded.

Deely gunned the engine and clouds of kicked up dirt flew behind the hog as it revved it's engines and drove up the hill. Far back the huge green colored Mammoth decimated the terrain with it's enormous wheels. If anything was to mess with the convoy, the Firebase's only Mammoth would be there to defend. Not to mention the ample heavy armor support from the Scorpions.

…

Mitch and his team were all cloaked and attached to the side of an Elephant. The snow camouflaged UNSC vehicle trudged into the white sand-like dunes of snow and up the trail that led to the Rally point. From there, it would drop it's ramp and deploy the mongooses. Mitch hopped off first. Softly landing in the snow he rolled to a black rock and took cover behind it. The rest of his team climbed up to the roof of the Elephant. The marines driving the mongooses drove down and formed up. One was barking orders and a few moments later the four-wheelers kicked into drive and sped off into the dark. Mitch un-cloaked. He had on silver-colored Mjolnir C.I.O. type armor. A red colored visor (or dots in this case) and the scout hood that his entire team had. The rest of his Spartan group was awaiting orders. Unbeknownst to the Elephant, it was right above the frozen over remains of a Forerunner facility detected by deep thermal scans. There was still power running down there, but it's energy traces were so low that it took several deep scans before Mitch agreed that this was worth checking out.

"Get inside the Elephant and make sure those drivers and Guard detail don't go outside. I'm going to start cutting into the ice." he ordered.

Silently five cloaked Spartans slipped inside the elephant as it's ramps closed up. Mitch put away his BR and took out a foldable torch device. He twisted a nozzle and wiped away at the ground to reveal cloudy blue ice. Putting the torch right to the ice Mitch held his breath and squeezed the trigger. A massive blade of fire ferociously exploded from the torch and melted into the ice at lightning speed. Then the flames seemed to compact together until a blade of red energy sword like properties was being led in a circle over and over by Mitch. It took great effort on his part, but eventually the slab of ice gave way and feel to the floor where a watery puddle awaited it.

"Okay, it's done. Let's get inside." he whispered.

Putting the torch away Mitch readied himself and jumped down into the facility. The ceiling was tough, but it supported his fall. He took out a package and placed it onto the ceiling. Turning his back to the package he squeezed the detonator and a man-sized hole was created in the ceiling. His scarf and hood had been singed but it didn't matter. Jumping down into the freezing cold and lightly dim room the rest of his team followed him. They landed on the watery ground and splashed about to secure a perimeter. Somebody took out a device and placed it onto the ground. It lit up with bright yellow-orange light and floated up to hover in the air.

"Nice touch. Now, those missing Marines we found had managed to stumble upon the multiple doorways to this facility. For some reason the Forerunners locked all the doors and kept everything contained, except for this room. This room has something special in it, and we're going to bring that special thing back to the Cruiser so Doctor Hartnack can decipher it." Mitch said.

A woman in white and gold Vanguard armor stepped forwards. She was the one who had placed down the light.

"Sir, what makes you think it's a thing?"

"Well what else could it be?" someone else responded. It was a blue and white Defender armor variant male.

Mitch moved forwards until he came across a huge console that ran upwards. It was slanted, and had many dials or levers or holographic buttons in disuse. Lines of energy could be seen pulsing through it, and Mitch was hesitant to touch anything. He was about to twist a dial when the lights suddenly came on and the monitor located on the ceiling came to life. The armored face-mask of a Forerunner woman stared back at the Spartans.

"This is not a place to toy around in. Come meet your other friends in the much warmer and luxurious areas of this planet." the Mistress said.

Every human and UNSC object suddenly vanished into thin air, including the massive Cruiser hovering in the snowy peaks of the freezing mountains. There wasn't a single trace left of them, unless you count the tracks left behind by all the movement. Even those were washed away by the icy winds and rainfalls of snow from high above.


End file.
